The Son of Neptune
by CombatTombat
Summary: Born to Neptune, and raised by Lupa, Perseus Jackson is fated to have a long, difficult life, but also one full of victory, glory, and success. Witness the rise of the man who shaped the future of the godly world, both Roman and Greek. AU, Roman!Percy, and Preyna. Sorry to Percabeth fans. First in the Imperator Jackson series. FIN. Rewrite is up! Read Vas Bellicosum!
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I do not own HoO, or any affiliated stories, all of which belong to Rick Riordan, long may he reign.**

Chapter One

Lupa

 _September 19_ _th_ _, 1999_

The demigod standing in front of Lupa didn't look like much, but the raw, untapped power emanating from him was astounding, especially for a six-year old. Lupa cocked her head to the side. _Yes,_ she thought, _this one could be another Romulus, another Caesar._ She just had to train him, teach him how to be a great leader. She sniffed the child, prowling around him, as her wolves watched on. His eyes rarely left hers, flicking only when another wolf moved, tracing the paths. He was different than Jason, her current protégé, but no less powerful. In fact, he may turn out to be _more_ powerful, if she pushed him enough. But therein lied the problem.

Juno wanted her champion to lead Camp Jupiter, and eventually, New Rome. But how would he handle a cousin that was more powerful than him, serving in a subordinate role. More importantly, how would Perseus himself feel about that situation? It didn't matter, for if Jason was meant to lead the camp, he would do so, and if Perseus was to lead, then he would. The Fates worked in mysterious ways, and Lupa wouldn't be surprised if it went either way, or even both.

Drawing her attention back to the Son of Neptune, Lupa could smell the fear on him, though he schooled it well, his face blank and expressionless. She wondered if he learned how to do it because of his step-father, the one Lupa herself had ripped apart for putting his hands on the child. She rather suspected it to be true. Finally, after almost ten minutes of circling around him, she simply padded in front of him, and sat on her haunches.

" _Perseus._ " She said to him, and his eyes widened in surprise in a flash, before narrowing. " _Yes, I am speaking to you. We have much to discuss, child. Come, follow me, and I will tell you of your father, and perhaps we may decipher your role in the world._ "

Perseus watched her cautiously for a moment, before making to follow her. Lupa let out a wolfish grin. This was just the beginning of what could be her most interesting role since Romulus and Remus.

 _June 18_ _th_ _, 2007_

Lupa watched from the shadows as Percy and Jason sparred, completely engaged in the fight. While the Son of Jupiter was a ferocious warrior, and there were few that could match him, Percy was more than his match. This was the third bout they were having, with Percy having won the previous two handily. Jason, her old protégé, was beginning to get frustrated, and it showed. His blows were becoming more powerful, yet also easier to predict, and therefore, avoid. It was shown when Jason lunged to skewer Percy, who simply pivoted on one foot, before smacking the blade away with his palm, and driving his foot behind Jason's knee, sending him tumbling down.

Lupa looked at the two Praetors watching the fight, the first an older son of Mars named Kyle Longfield, who looked frustrated at the beating Jason was receiving. The other Praetor was a daughter of Ceres, surprisingly, named Cassandra Moon, who preferred being called 'Cassie' by all that knew her. Cassie was watching the fight with interest, her eyes trained on Percy, who was waiting for Jason to rise to his feet again. Just after he rose, Jason thrust his hand out, and an arc of lightning shot from his fingers, striking Percy in the chest, sending him flying backwards. Kyle let out a sound of contentment, while Cassie remained silent.

Lupa growled silently, but did nothing else. If Jason wanted to bring powers into the mix, then it was his loss. Lupa remembered the raw power that Percy had when he was only six, unrefined as it was then. It was like a blade now, honed to sharpness, and able to kill if he wished so. Lupa felt a moment of pity for the Son of Jupiter.

Percy rose to his feet, using his blade to support him, before his foot went forward in a stomp. Kyle scoffed, but that changed when the arena began to shake, sending most tumbling to their feet, while the Praetors had to grip onto the dais to prevent from falling. Percy wasn't finished, however, and the air became thick as storm clouds began to form over their heads, a torrent of rain beginning to fall, moving towards the Son of Neptune and swirling around him.

Jason rose, his body sparking with lightning and charged, trying to close the gap between him and Percy. He couldn't get close enough, as jets of water kept slamming into him, dispersing across his body, but blinding him. Lupa watched with pride as Percy closed the distance, before slamming his shoulder into Jason's chest. The Son of Jupiter reached out and grabbed on to the Son of Neptune, sending both tumbling to the ground. Percy's fist was cocked back, ready to strike, but Lupa let out a loud growl, and he instantly rolled off Jason and backed up ten paces. Jason himself rose, his body language indicating he wasn't finished, but Lupa let out another growl, and he relaxed. Slightly.

She turned to the Praetors, who looked surprised with the outcome of the fight. Lupa assumed it was much closer than what they had expected. She felt a burst of pride in her at that. She had spent the past seven years training Percy, and loved him as if he was her own. She had staked her claim on her pup, and she would fight for it as well. Cassie was clearly impressed by the fact that Percy had lasted so long, while Kyle seemed frustrated by it.

Lupa hadn't focused on the internal politics of New Rome for several years, believing that the Senate could handle it. Clearly, she had been mistaken, because Kyle Longfield was exactly the kind of Praetor who would take advantage of his position. Lupa decided to watch him closely, and see what he was doing.

" _I believe you have seen enough, yes?"_ Lupa asked. Praetor Cassie shook herself out of a stupor.

"Yes, Lady Lupa." Cassie said politely. "We will take this… Perseus? To the augury, in order to have him admitted as a _probatio_. Beyond that? It's up to him to prove his worth."

"Not that a Sea-Spawn would have any." Kyle muttered, and Lupa snapped her jaws sharply, causing the praetors to flinch.

" _Are you saying that my judgment on Perseus' worth was impaired when I decided to train him for the past seven years, Praetor?"_ Lupa snarled. _"His worth is not in question, Son of Mars, but I am beginning to question yours."_

"I apologise, Lady Lupa." Kyle said, though she was almost certain he didn't truly mean it. "I did not mean to question you, or your decisions, but children of Neptune do not have the best reputation either in the Legion, or in New Rome."

She narrowed her eyes, but remained silent, instead turning to Cassie.

"We will take him to the augur. He _will_ induct Perseus as a _probatio_ and as I said, beyond that, it is up to _him_ to prove his worth." Cassie reiterated.

Lupa nodded, her wolfish smile disturbing the praetors.

"That was all I asked for."

 **MMXVII**

AN: So, right off the bat, this is obviously an AU. I wanted to make the fight between Percy and Jason seem semi-realistic. Percy is canonically

 _ **super**_ **powerful, and training seven years with Lupa would most definitely have made him dangerous. In a straight up sword-fight, Percy will dominate most opponents, just because he's only ever known the godly challenge of learning under Lupa. His powers have been honed as well, as seen with the altercation with Jason. As to why he spent so long with Lupa, that will be explained at some point in the story. Not quite sure when, but it will be. Anyways, Percy is a Roman, has been raised as a Roman, and will continue to be a Roman without fail. Hope you all enjoy.**

 **Cheers, CombatTombat**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The Fourth Cohort had an opening, and Percy had been admitted by their senior centurion, an 18-year old Son of Mercury named Tony Giles, born and raised in Texas. He liked Percy, and Percy liked him. He was a good leader, and an even better tactician. Best of all, he didn't have any preconceptions about Percy for being the Son of Neptune.

That being said, Percy got the impression none of the other centurions liked him very much. The day after he was inducted as a _probatio_ , the former centurion of the fifth retired, and none other than Jason Grace, the Son of Jupiter who Percy had beaten to the ground thrice was her successor. That automatically put him in the fifths bad side, and several legionnaires had already tried to take their frustration on him. Two broken arms had led to an inquiry, but Jason bloody Grace had stepped in and assured the praetors that the fault lay in his own men, not Percy. That had raised his opinion on his cousin, but Percy still wasn't sure why he had done it.

Now, standing on the Field of Mars, three rows in, five places to the left, Percy was waiting for the war games to begin. The Second and Fifth Cohorts were holding the fort, while the First, Third, and Fourth had to take it. He shuffled idly on each of his feet, impatiently waiting for the fight to start.

"Jackson!" Tony called from the front. "I need you here!"

"Yes, centurion!" Percy replied, and traded placed several times until he was next to the tall Texan.

"I think the defending team has water cannons." He informed Percy, who didn't have a chance to respond, as the cannons suddenly fired. He didn't have time to sheath his sword, so he flicked it down, so it was impaled into the dirt, and then thrust his hands out in front of himself.

The water stopped immediately, before spinning around and ramming right back into the walls of the fort. Another jet detached from the main group and sprayed the groups manning the cannons, sending them flying off the walls, but relatively unharmed. Once all the cannons were destroyed, Percy collapsed to his knees, gripping the hilt of his gladius to support himself. One of his comrades, a daughter of Ceres named Leila, helped him up, letting him rest on her.

"That was amazing, Percy!" She exclaimed, and he gave her a grin.

"I try." He said, before holding himself up on his own power, turning to Tony, who was looking at the fort with interest, trying to figure out how to best attack it. "Did they really just attack us with a water cannon?"

Tony let out a laugh. "Guess they forgot about you, eh Percy?" He turned to the cohort. "The cannons are gone! We can get to the walls!"

A loud cheer erupted from the Fourth, but Percy staggered over Tony, now using a pilum as a crutch.

"I can take down the wall." Percy told him, and Tony froze, his plumed helmet whipping in Percy's direction.

"What? How?" Tony asked, and Percy looked at him like he was simple.

"Son of the Earthshaker? Doer of earthquakes?" Percy said, and Tony slapped his forehead.

"Do it." He ordered, and Percy stepped forward, placed his feet firmly in the ground, and thrust his hands out in front of himself.

There was a tugging in his gut, and the earth began tossing itself over, forming a line as it made its way to the walls of the fort the other cohorts had built. Percy could hear the yelling coming from the legionaries, who knew what was coming, but didn't act fast enough. Several leapt from the ramparts, but others were tossed up in a wave of dirt, throwing them out, and making them ineffective for the rest of the match. The First, Third, and Fourth reacted instantly, charging towards the newly formed breaches in the walls. Somehow, despite his weariness, Percy was the first one through the breach, deflecting blades, and knocking out opponents.

He spun to his left, avoiding a vicious jab, before slamming his helmet into whoever had attacked him, before moving on. He could see the banner of the defending team, defended by both the centurions, and a group of legionaries Percy assumed had been selected entirely for this role. Two of them detached after the Centurion from the Second barked an order, and Percy ducked under a swing, before ramming his fist into the jaw of the girl who had attacked him, laying her out. He leapt backwards, avoiding another attack, and this time planted his foot into the chest of his attacker, before sprinting past him, dodging several attacks, and sliding under his cousin, tripping him for good measure.

He snatched the banner, before leaping over the junior centurion of the Fifth, tossing the banner to Tony, who then scrambled out of the fort, hoisting it above his head. A loud cheer erupted from the attacking team, and Tony was carried upon the shoulders of the Fourth. Percy didn't mind, he'd rather not be scrutinized by the blitz he had just performed, which, while Lupa would have been impressed by it, was so completely unorthodox it would've given any other centurion a heart attack. Unfortunately for Percy, his wish to remain unnoticed didn't last long. For some reason completely beyond him, Jason Grace decided to stand up for him once more.

"Hey!" Jason boomed, and thunder followed. "Percy was the one who captured that flag! He just gave it to Tony."

Praetor Cassie came over, followed by Praetor Kyle, who Percy _really_ didn't like.

"Is that true, Probatio?" Cassie asked him.

"It's true." Tony interrupted, having made his way over from the shoulders of his troops. "He was first in the wall as well. In fact, Percy was the reason we were even able to get inside the walls. And why the water cannons failed so miserably."

Jason shot an annoyed glance at the two centurions from the Second, but didn't say anything. Cassie arched an eyebrow at them, but said nothing on the matter.

"Are you recommending the Sea-spawn for the mural crown, _centurion?_ " Kyle spat out. Tony didn't back down, and instead stood up straighter, something Percy didn't think was possible for the tall Texan.

"I'm recommending the son of Neptune, one of the elder gods, for the mural crown, _sir_." Tony responded in kind, and storm clouds began to gather overhead. Everyone looked at Percy.

"Not me." He said, hands in the air. Looks went to Jason next, who shook his head as well.

"Lord Jupiter, perhaps?" Someone muttered.

" _Try Neptune."_ Lupa's voice cut in, the She-Wolf appearing from nowhere. _"He didn't appreciate the slur against his son, Praetor. Perhaps you should watch yourself, lest you upset the Sea-God further."_

Kyle nodded silently, his Adam's Apple bobbing as he did so. _Good_ , Percy thought, _he's nervous._

" _I am interested to know who though using the water cannons against the team with the Son of Neptune was a smart idea."_ Lupa's mouth was curled into what Percy recognized as a smile. To the others, he assumed it was rather disconcerting. _"Of course, I'm sure that it was a simple matter of forgetting, because no student I have taught would ever discount an enemy because he is unknown."_

It was a not so subtle rebuke against the other Centurions, who had clearly dismissed Percy as a threat because he was a simple _probatio_. He had expected it.

" _Probatio_ Jackson will be awarded the mural crown, and for his deeds in eliminating the cannons, destroying the walls, and capturing the enemy banner, I am recommending that we take him to the senate so that he may be sworn in as a legionary. They can make the ultimate decision." Cassie stated, and Percy gave her a tired smile. She responded with a warm one.

" _I approve of this course."_ Lupa stated. Percy grinned at her. She had won their bet.

Five days at camp, and he was going to become a legionary.

 **MMXVII**

 **AN: So, I made up the character of Tony Giles, the swashbuckling Texan, but Leila, a daughter of Ceres, is a canonical character, who was the Senior Centurion for the Fourth Cohort. Hope you enjoyed, and let me know what you think.**

 **Cheers, CombatTombat**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Jason ducked under the wild swing of a Dracaena, bisecting it as he pushed forward with the Fifth, trying to line up with the Fourth Cohort, which had been surrounded and cut off by forces led by Krios himself. A thunderbolt dropped from the sky and incinerated a group of Telekhines, opening a path to the Fourth. Jason took advantage quickly, bellowing out orders that resulted in the Fifth rushing through the gap, and relieving the pressure on the Fourth's left. As he made his way to the cohort, he found Tony Giles dead on the ground, staring at the sky with glossy eyes. He dropped to a knee and closed the centurion's eyes, before re-joining the fight.

Percy was coordinating the cohort while simultaneously fighting off several harpies. His left arm was bloody, and Jason could see the _scutum_ he normally used shattered on the ground. Percy thrust his bloody arm out, and a spray of water emerged from seemingly nowhere, wiping away a large tract of monsters, which was quickly replaced by the Third Cohort, and their new Centurion, a daughter of Bellona named Reyna. Soon, the entire Legion was arrayed at the foot of Mount Tam, the new home of Mount Orthys.

"Where's Kyle?" Percy yelled over to him, leading Jason to shrug. "Where's Cassie for that matter?"

"Dead!" Reyna called over. "Dracaena got Kyle, and Cassie was killed by an archer."

Jason swore in Latin, before looking to Percy, who was staring at the fortress. Finally, the son of Neptune made his way over to Jason, waving the other centurions with him. Despite having taken control despite the fact he had no authority to, they obeyed, because it was well known that if Tony had retired, Percy would have become the senior centurion of the Fourth Cohort.

"Each of you needs to pick two of your best fighters." Percy told them. "Jason's going to lead them around, and come through the Garden of the Hesperides. The rest of you need to keep the monster army organized."

Jason wasn't the only one who realized that Percy excluded himself from those orders. Reyna stepped forward.

"And what will you be doing?" She asked, and Percy responded with his famous grin.

"I'm going to be causing a hell of a distraction. Should keep Krios away from you." He replied, and Jason tensed, before gripping Percy's good arm.

"Don't you dare die, cousin. We haven't even tried to see who can cause the biggest storm yet." He warned, before lightening up at the end.

"Well, let me be the first to put my hat in the ring, Jason. I'm about to try and do just that. Go get Saturn's throne. Let me handle Krios." Percy said, before shoving Jason away, and returning to his cohort, barking out orders, and placing Leila, the daughter of Ceres, in charge. Two legionnaires detached from the Fourth, and made their way to Jason, followed shortly by six others from the other three cohorts. Finally, Jason chose two of his own, Dakota, the son of Bacchus, and Gwen, a daughter of Apollo. Both could be centurions in their own rights, which was why he chose them. He left a son of Bellona, Liam, in command of the Fifth, and told him to follow the commands of Reyna, who, despite being from the Third, was more trustworthy than the centurions of the First or Second Cohorts.

Large clouds gathered overhead, and Jason could _feel_ the raw power emanating from Percy, who had stepped in front of the Legion. The clouds swirled, and thunder louder than anything Jason had ever heard boomed across the sky. Monsters quaked in fear, believing that Neptune himself had taken the field.

"Krios!" Percy's voice boomed across the mountain. "You hide behind monsters and walls, but what that does prove, other than you are a coward? I have faced birds with more bravery than you!"

An inhuman roar came from the towering black fortress that was dominating the skyline, and the gates crashed open a moment later. Jason didn't see the result, because he was half way around the mountain with his strike force, scaling the walls of Mount Orthys, a fact that was mind-boggling. Naturally, Jason didn't have the time to ponder what he was doing, because then he was over the walls. There were barely any monsters around, and the others in his groups quickly dealt with any that came across them. The sounds of battle had resumed outside, and Jason could hear battle commands being bellowed by centurions, and roars coming from the monsters that battled them.

The large door to the throne room was pushed open, and towering over any that would enter was the large black throne of Saturn. Atlas was pinned under the sky nearby, bellowing curses at anyone who would listen. While the others secured the room, Jason approached the throne, drawing as much power in as he could. He inhaled a deep breath, before realising it, and his power. A lightning bolt dropped from the sky, impacting with the throne, refusing to cease. Jason poured even more energy into it, and lightning began arcing from his body as he thrusts his arms out, pulsing towards the throne, which was beginning to glow brightly. Then, as if a switch had been flicked, the throne exploded into a mass of light, sending Jason and the others flying backwards.

When he rose to his feet, he was amazed to find a crater where the Black Throne of Saturn once stood, and Atlas bellowing out in rage at the loss. The castle around them began to crumble, forcing Jason and the others to scramble out, trying to avoid falling chunks of black marble. He was the last one out, diving forward into a roll to avoid being crushed by a rather large sheet of rock. What he came face to face with was Krios hoisting Percy by one arm, his massive sword gripped in the other.

Before Jason could react to the threat to his cousin, Percy drove his gladius into Krios' elbow, forcing him to drop the son of Neptune, which lead to Percy rolling past a strike, and driving his blade right through the Ram's ribs, piercing his heart, before withdrawing the blade, and stepping backward neatly. Krios collapsed to his knees, before bursting into golden dust which was gently blown away in the wind. Percy dropped to a knee, and several members from the Fourth Cohort rushed forward to support him. The others raced past Percy to get to Jason, raising him up with chants of 'Praetor' and 'Jason'. He looked around, trying to find Percy, but only managed to see the back of his cousin as he was lead off the battlefield, escorted by Reyna, who glanced over her shoulder and looked at Jason with something akin to disappointment, before continuing to help Percy.

 **MMXVII**

 **AN: Right, so time has skipped again, because this is the point I really wanted the story to start. While Percy is liked and respected enough that the Romans would listen to him, two years under the thumb of Kyle, who clearly disliked him, was enough for most to avoid Percy for the most part, with the exclusion of the Fourth Cohort, Jason, and Reyna, who was determined to understand Percy. Now, Jason has been raised to the position of Praetor, for toppling the Black Throne of Saturn, the ramifications of which will be seen over the next chapter or two. Hope you all enjoyed, and please leave a review.**

 **Cheers, CombatTombat**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Percy spent three days recuperating from his fight with Krios, and in that time, Jason never visited him once. While he had been indifferent to his cousin when the first met, Jason had gone out of his way to try and build a relationship with Percy, though he had scorned it at first. It had taken Lupa tossing them out in Yellowstone and forcing them to work together for the beginning of a friendship to be built. They had bonded over their solitary nature as children of the Big Three, and Percy had begun to really like Jason. And then the stupid Praetorship got between them.

Percy hadn't wanted to be Praetor. For Neptune's sake, he hadn't even wanted to be centurion. But once Jason had been elevated on the field of battle, any time he had for Percy seemingly vanished. His two most common visitors were Reyna and Leila. The Senior Centurion for the Third Cohort had put herself forward for the vacant Praetor spot, and was running against a legacy of Apollo, Octavian, who was the new augur, as well as the new Centurion of the First Cohort, though how he weaselled his way into that, Percy would never know. Leila was the Junior Centurion for the Fourth now, and had been keeping Percy informed of the goings on in the cohort.

Now that he was free of the Medicus, Percy had made his way straight to the Wolf House, riding on the back of a Pegasus he had met. As he dismounted, he found himself quickly surrounded by some of Lupa's pack. They recognized his scent, no doubt, by they would keep him here until Lupa decided to see him. If she decided to see him. Percy stayed still, but kept a hand on the pommel of his gladius, ready in case one of the wolves tried something. Lupa didn't keep him waiting long, emerging from the woods, shifting into a human form as she did so.

When she approached him, she tilted his head down, looking at the new scar he had, a parting gift from Krios. It started on his forehead and went down over his left eye, finishing at his jaw. It was a brutal reminder that he wasn't infallible, but also one of his defeat of a Titan.

" _Romulus had a similar scar."_ Lupa said simply. Once, the comparison would have frustrated Percy, knowing that he would never live up to the memory of Lupa's most famous son, but he knew better now. She didn't give the comparisons to spite Percy, but to encourage him. Romulus _was_ Lupa's son, but Percy held a similar spot in her heart, and knowing that he reminded her of him was something that made him proud.

"A fierce warrior, then." Percy responded, and Lupa nodded.

" _You are here because of Jason, I assume?"_ She asked him, and Percy nodded his head in affirmation. _"I understand he never visited you whilst you were recovering. He is praetor now, Perseus."_

"I know that, Mother Lupa, but he is praetor because I threw myself against a Titan. I don't want the position. I never have, but recognition _is_ something I would enjoy, if not from the legion, then at least from my cousin. Yet he deems me beneath his importance, for even a single visit." Percy explained, noting how the wolves had left, leaving the two of them alone. "I do not understand it."

" _Oh, my boy, it is not your place to understand. Jason is a son of Jupiter, and pride comes easier to them than it does to you."_ The She-Wolf explained. _"He has a new role, a new responsibility, and his pride prevents him from acknowledging your role in his ascension. He will realize his mistake, in time, but for now, you must be the dutiful officer. The second in command to the Son of Jupiter. The alternative is to run for Praetor. Make Jason your equal, and he will have to recognize you as his partner, not subordinate."_

"Yeah, that'll happen." Percy scoffed, only the smacked in the back of his head by Lupa. "Ow! Hey!"

" _That's not why you refuse to run for praetor, and don't try to tell me otherwise. Why?"_ She asked him. Percy shrugged.

"Reyna Ramirez-Arellano is running for praetor. I'm going to back her. Better her than Octavian." He replied, earning a curious sound from Lupa.

" _The legacy of Apollo? Why not?"_ Lupa questioned.

"Too ambitious, thinks to highly of himself, and cowardly to his core. Centurion of the First, leads from the rear, and I'm fairly certain he's blackmailing legionnaires." Percy explained.

" _Pardon?"_ Lupa asked, growling slightly.

"I have no proof, of course, but legionnaires who once spoke against him are now either silent or reluctant supporters." He said.

" _And that makes you believe blackmail?"_ Lupa pressed.

"Some of it may be bribery. Both are equally repulsive in my eyes." Percy admitted, leaning onto a tree and crossing his arms. "Either way, I'll oppose him, but not as Praetor. My actions would be too closely examined, whereas a centurion has more leeway."

" _You have thought this out."_ Lupa said, pride in her voice.

"I've had the time to think. This is the best course of action." Percy said, before looking at the sky. "I need to return to camp before search parties are sent out. Thank you for the time, Mother Lupa."

Lupa simply nodded, before vanishing back into the woods, shifting back into a wolf as she did so. Percy called the Pegasus back, mounting him again, before flying back to camp, at low altitude of course. He didn't want Jupiter to smite him. When he arrived, Leila confronted him immediately.

"Where were you? An unclaimed has shown up, and Jason refuses to start without you." She said, pointing a finger at him. "Octavian's trying to use this to bad mouth you."

"I was with Lupa, and I'll say as much." Percy told her. "Is the legion assembled?"

Leila nodded, and Percy strode off, leaving the daughter of Ceres to scramble after him. He approached the gathered legions, ignoring the whispers. Standing next to Jason was a tall, pudgy Asian boy, who looked very out of place. He had a bow slung over his shoulder, along with a quiver of arrows. A son of Apollo, perhaps? Percy didn't know, but he most certainly did care.

"Apologies, Praetor Grace. I was with Mother Lupa, discussing our recent victory." Percy explained, forcing the smirk from Octavian's face, and earning a tight nod from Jason.

"And what does she think of our victory?" Jason asked.

"Hard fought, yet well earned. She praises the leadership of all officers, including those who are no longer with us." Percy responded, knowing it would draw pride to the legionnaires present.

"We are here because we have a prospective member of the legion, Frank Zhang, whose parentage is unknown." That wasn't good. Not many would stand for a demigod who didn't know who his godly parent was. "Who will stand for him."

Jason hadn't even finished speaking when Percy stepped forward. "I will stand for him, and take him into my own Cohort."

There was a murmur of surprise, yet no others came forward to stand for Frank. Jason nodded at Percy.

"Then it is decided. Frank Zhang will join the Fourth Cohort, under the guidance of Centurion Jackson, as a probatio, until he proves himself, is claimed, or serves for a year." Jason declared. The legion pounded the butts of their _pila_ into the ground, stopping when Jason rose a hand. "Dismissed."

The others scattered, though the Fourth remained to meet their new comrade. Percy stood back, letting the others meet their new compatriot. There was something about the young, unclaimed demigod that interested Percy, though he hadn't quite figured out what it was. Once the cohort was introduced to Frank, he assigned two legionnaires to escort him to the barracks, while he and Leila remained behind. She turned to face him as soon as they were alone.

"You didn't talk with Lupa about our victory." She stated, hand cocked on her hip. "I know you well, Percy, and I know when you're lying."

Percy grinned at her. "We did discuss our victory, but it wasn't the main focus of our discussion, no." He motioned towards the city. "I need somewhere quiet to rest, and I heard that Marcus opened a café in the city."

Leila arched an eyebrow, but followed him into the city, pausing briefly to greet young Julia. Terminus made some noise as well, but Percy ignored the god. Once they found the café Percy had mentioned, they settled down into a corner booth. They were served drinks and food by a pretty nymph who tried her best to draw Percy's attention, though he ignored her.

"Elections are coming up." He mentioned casually, leaning into the booth.

"They are." Leila confirmed. "I've heard that Reyna is predicted to win, by a landslide as well."

"Oh? Funny how that works, isn't it?"

"Depends on what side of the election you belong to, I suppose."

Percy didn't respond to that, instead smirking behind his cup. Octavian had stooped to low levels to get whom he believed to be loyal voters, but Percy was the Son of Neptune, and there were many that were constantly currying favours from him. It hadn't been hard to casually mention how he believed that Reyna would be a phenomenal Praetor, and word had spread like wildfire.

 **MMXVII**

 **AN: Hope you enjoyed!**

 **Cheers, CombatTombat**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

The day after Reyna was elected Praetor, she came to visit Percy. He was in his villa, which was on the outskirts of New Rome, and had been a gift from the Senate for his role fighting Krios. He suspected Lupa had something to do with it, but he didn't say anything to her. He had been writing reports when the doorbell rang, so he got up from his desk, threw on a shirt, and opened the door. He was pleasantly surprised to see her.

"Praetor." He greeted with a dip of his head. "This is a surprise, please, come in."

He stood aside as she entered, moving like a lioness stalking her prey, careful, measured steps. Two mechanical hounds loped in after her, one made of silver, and the other of gold. He blinked, but remained silent.

"Want a coffee?" He asked her. "I just put a new pot on a few minutes ago."

"That would be great, thank you." Reyna responded politely, so Percy padded into the kitchen, retrieved two mugs, and poured some coffee for the both of them, returning with the steaming mugs in each hand. Reyna accepted it silently, and nodded in thanks. Percy was sure that if a mortal had come across this scene, they would have been immensely confused. Two sixteen-year-olds in a house together were supposed to be doing… other… things, not drinking coffee and discussing an army. But neither Percy nor Reyna were regular sixteen-year-olds. They were demigods, and legionnaires at that.

"You had me elected." Reyna finally said, watching him closely. The dogs made much more sense now. Percy put his mug on a coaster, and leaned back into his seat.

"I made it known that I support you as Praetor, but I didn't manipulate the elections outside of that. Surprisingly, I'm respected enough, and powerful enough, that people like to listen to what I have to say." Percy said carefully, aware that the conversation they were having wasn't _really_ happening. "But you did win the election on your own merit, not solely because I supported you. Even you know that."

One of the dogs, Aurum, sat by his side, and he idly pat the dogs head, much to Reyna's surprise.

"What are you doing?" She asked him, and he arched an eyebrow at her.

"He's still a dog." 

"An Automaton Dog."

"Yeah, but dog's in the name, therefore I'm right." He smirked at her, and she shook her head in amusement. "But the election, nor your dogs, are the reason you're here, so, Praetor, what can I do for you?" The question was innocent enough, but both knew that her reasons would have some implications for politics in Rome for the foreseeable future. This was also one of the few places that was _completely_ safe from outside influence.

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"I don't believe that Jason was the right choice for Praetor." She said after a moment of silence.

"The legion would disagree with you." Percy responded, not displaying any of his feelings on the matter. Reyna knew she'd have to press harder.

"The legion was manipulated by those who thought they could control the son of Jupiter." She told him, and Percy nodded idly to himself. Realization struck her quickly. Percy _knew_ that others had placed Jason as Praetor over him. Of course, he knew. Despite what others believed, Reyna knew Percy to be one of the most cunning and observant people she knew. She supposed seven years with Lupa would have assisted that immensely.

"Oh, they most certainly were, though your assumption behind _why_ he was chosen is incorrect." Percy stated, still emotionless, showing the statesman he truly was. "The alternative to the Centurion who destroyed Saturn's Black Throne, an impressive feat, to be sure, was the Centurion who defeated a _titan_ , an even more impressive feat. Had the members of my Cohort been faster, I'm sure they would have tried to raise me instead, and none could've done anything to argue it."

"And that doesn't bother you?" She asked him, earning a shrug in response.

"I don't covet power." He replied, before raising a hand to cut off her protest. "I know, it's not very Roman-like, but do you know what my fatal flaw is?"

Reyna didn't, so she shook her head.

"It's personal loyalty." He told her. "One of my father's best traits, his undying loyalty to those that have earned it. I don't need power, I really don't, because, as the Son of Neptune, I have it. What I need is those I can rely on, those who I can give my loyalty to. The Legion is great for me, because it gives me that general basis to be loyal to."

"And who _are_ you loyal to, Percy?" She asked him, feeling particularly bold.

"First and foremost, Lupa." He replied, surprising her once more. "Oh, don't look so surprised, she raised me, after all. My father is next, followed by Rome." He gave her a teasing grin. "Is that what you want, Praetor? You want to be one of those I'm loyal to?"

She had to admit, it _did_ sound nice, having someone who believed in her, and would help her, simply because of who she was, but it wasn't her intention when she arrived. Still, this game was intoxicating, and they both knew it.

"And if I do? What would you do then?" She hadn't realized that she was leaning forward now, her nose touching Percy's.

"I'd say that you have to earn it first, _mea femina._ " He responded, his voice low and husky.

Reyna lunged forward, smashing her lips to his as his arms snaked around her hips. His lips tasted of salt and… seaweed? She didn't mind it at all, but eventually pulled away, breathless, with swollen lips, though he had the same issue as her.

"Where's your bedroom?" She asked him, only to be yanked up when he stood, forcing her to wrap her legs around his waist.

"Let me show you." He whispered in her ear before nipping it.

Now _this_ , was what a regular mortal would have expected to come from two sixteen-year-olds together in a house, alone. They were human, after all.

 **MMXVII**

 **AN: Right, so that's probably the closest I'll ever get to writing a lemon, but who knows, maybe I'll decide one day to actually write one. Anyways, this takes place a couple months before Jason vanishes, so Percy and Reyna will have the beginning of a relationship** _ **before**_ **he vanishes, which will also play into their rivalry that's starting to form. Hope you enjoyed, and as always, leave a review, they are incredibly helpful.**

 **Cheers, CombatTombat**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Word about Percy and Reyna's… rendezvous, spread quickly, though neither was quite sure exactly how it did. Neither of them denied it, however, and in a flash, New Rome had a power couple. Someone had tried to ask Jason how he felt about it, but he never responded, leading to a wholenew slurry of rumours, ranging from Jason was in love with Reyna to Jason was in love with _Percy_. The last one had been traced back to Octavian, leading to a beatdown from Percy onto the Augur, who had tried to accuse him in the Senate of attacking a sovereign body, only for it to be primly pointed out by several centurions that the incident happened in the field, and that led to Percy stating that if Octavian wanted to protect his sovereign body, he would have to retire his officers commission, and since he hadn't completed his ten years, although the discharge would be honourable, he wouldn't be permitted any of the benefits of a normal retiree, which, of course, was offset by his privileges as augur.

In one fell swoop, Percy was able to lay a beating on the annoying legacy of Apollo, as well as get him removed from the legion. Of course, Jason and Reyna had remained silent throughout the whole event, only contributing when order needed to be restored. He didn't glance at his co-Praetor once, a fact he was sure she noticed. When the Senate was dismissed, he watched the silent exchange between his cousin and Reyna, ending with Percy nodding and leaving the two of them alone.

"You don't approve." She said finally, once they were alone.

"He's a subordinate. There are rules for this sort of thing." He replied, crossing his arms.

"That's true, but those rules were thrown out the window years ago, and we both know it. There was supposed to be rules about Praetors having relationships as well, remember? Or is that what you were hoping for, Jason?" She asked him, and when his jaw tightened he knew that she had figured it out. "That _was_ it wasn't it? You wanted to be Praetor, and have the pretty co-Praetor as yours as well. Tough luck, because I don't belong to anyone, not you, not Percy, no-one."

"Then why are you with him?" He finally snapped, though Reyna didn't look surprised by the question. "Why him and not me?"

"Because Percy respects me as Reyna, as a former Centurion, and as Praetor. You only respect me for one of those. That's your loss, not mine. Get over it." Reyna rose and left at that, leaving Jason by himself in the Senate house, his head resting in his hands.

He sighed, and rose, waiting a few minutes before he left. He had a new house now, one of the Praetor's villas, and he made his way there, before collapsing onto a couch. His mind raced back on the past month, since he had been elected Praetor. Percy had been badly injured fighting Krios, and he had wanted to visit his cousin so badly, to tell him how proud he was of him, how impressed he was, but several senators, those with years of experience on him, had told him that he couldn't be seen to favour anyone, not even his cousin, so he kept his distance. He _watched_ as Percy trained the Fourth Cohort, turning it into a well-oiled war-machine, one that could function without him in charge of it. He _watched_ as Percy took in the new _Probatio_ , Frank Zhang, and tutored and trained him, from a shy recruit who had no sense of self-esteem, to the newly promoted _optio_ of the Fourth Cohort, the son of Mars who was seen as the right hand of Percy Jackson, Centurion of the Fourth.

He even saw how Percy made his favouritism of Reyna for Praetor obvious, and how legionnaires from all cohorts rushed to support her. He saw the power his cousin wielded, and saw how Percy _knew_ he wielded it and he became afraid. Afraid for his own station, because what would happen if Percy decided one day he wanted to become Praetor. Would they throw him down to raise his cousin up? The final straw had been when a legionary from the first, one of Octavian's stooges no less, reported that Reyna had entered Percy's villa, but never left. Then the news got out, and he snapped. He knew Percy wouldn't plot to overthrow him, but nor did he believe that Percy wouldn't _stop_ a plan like that from happening.

He groaned and buried his head into a pillow. He knew Percy's fatal flaw was loyalty, and he also knew he had allowed his pride and ambition to squander that loyalty, and while Percy was loyal, it wasn't limitless, and he had lost it. It would be harder to earn it back. Face down in his pillow, he slowly drifted off to sleep as he contemplated his mistakes since he became Praetor, and vowed to make it up to Percy, and Reyna. He didn't notice the hidden figure in his house, watching him silently. A bright flash filled his house, and both vanished, gone without a trace. He never heard the screams that come from outside, as people slowly realized what had happened, and he never saw his cousin rush in, sword drawn, ready to protect his cousin.

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The meeting in the Senate the next day was solemn, though Percy knew that Octavian had a plan, because he was smirking infuriatingly. Percy cracked one of his fists loudly, and the former centurion lost his composure, the smirk fading from his face. Reyna sat at the dais for the praetors, the empty chair beside her a glaring indication of what was wrong. The meeting was called into order, and Percy rose from his seat.

"Senators. Praetor." He said by way of greeting. "Yesterday afternoon, just after our previous meeting, Praetor Grace retired to his house, and shortly after, witnesses saw a blinding light flash through the windows. I had been on my way to visit my cousin, our Praetor, when the even occurred. I arrived to find his house deserted, yet the remnants of godly power remained, so thick in the air it almost suffocated me. I believe that Jason has been taken by a god, or goddess, though I can't say why."

"And how do you know that it was godly energy, Centurion?" Octavian asked, rising from his own seat. "Have you been blessed by a visit from the gods in the past? Is their signature familiar to you?"

"More so to a demigod than a legacy." Percy shot back. "And even more so for a child of one of the elder gods. Unless you believe that you, a fourth-generation legacy, understand divine blood better than I, a son to the Sea God, the fourth-born of Saturn?"

There were hushed murmurs at Percy's statement, and Octavian knew he had been beaten. He retracted his statements, and sat down, the anger on his face evident to all who knew him.

"I move to petition we do not fill the empty spot of Praetor, at least for a month, or until we receive word that Praetor Grace will not return in a reasonable amount of time." Percy declared. The senate agreed. All was going well, at least until the one-month period passed. And then two-month, then three.

 **MMXVII**

 **AN: Hope you enjoyed! I've decided that just Jason will be switched, with no Greek Demigod arriving. The reason is that Percy and Jason, at least before he was promoted to Praetor, were very close, and Juno/Hera believes that Jason will be able to bridge the gap with the Greeks and Romans due to Thalia, and Percy, in each respective camp.**

 **Cheers, CombatTombat**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Frank would always be grateful to Percy for turning him into the man, and demigod, that he was now. He had taken him in, believed in him, when no one else would. The other cohorts had sniggered at him, made fun of him behind his back, and mocked him when he failed. Percy had been patient, kind, but strict with him, only tolerating failure the first time.

Frank had grown into his role in the legion, first earning the trust of his own cohort, and then that of the others. He had gotten much fitter as well, burning off the baby fat he had when he arrived, and learned to use a gladius as well as continuing to hone his skills with the bow, at Percy's insistence. Just before the end of his first month, Percy announced to the Cohort that he was reintroducing the rank of _Optio_ , though since the Cohort already had two Centurions, it would be equivalent to a senior enlisted rank, instead of second in command. He then gave it to Frank, which had surprised him, but not the others. He had asked Leila about it later.

"You're the first legionary that Percy has ever sponsored." She had told him. "We all assumed he would groom you for command, and he did. This his him rewarding you for being a good student. Chances are, he's going to try and have you in command of a Cohort in two years' time."

When Jason vanished, there was an uproar. The Fifth Cohort was shunned by the First and Second, and parts of the Third, though the Fourth stayed loyal to their sister cohort. Frank had broken up more fights than he could count between members of the Fourth and other cohorts, when the integrity of the Fifth was questioned. Percy was just as quick to shut those fights down, though he had no issue laying the hammer down on both sides, which often resulted in bruised legionnaires visiting the medicus.

Slowly, other cohorts began reintroducing the rank of _Optio_ , using it to promote skilled leaders, or those that would eventually succeed the current Centurion. This had led to some arguments, but most were resolved quickly. Percy's example of grooming the _Optio_ spread, and most were those with at least two years on their belt. Frank was the aberration, still technically a _Probatio_ , yet holding the rank of _Optio_. Percy didn't care, however, and none had the guts to contradict him, especially since he was the one who brought the rank back into practice.

Because he was just and _Optio_ , he was fairly surprised when he was ordered to attend a Senate meeting, but that changed to worry when Percy admitted he didn't know why he was being summoned. They arrived together with Leila, who, like Percy, were wearing togas. Frank was wearing his armour, though that was by Percy's command. While centurions had transverse crests on their helms, Frank's ran from the front of his helm to the back, to distinguish him from a regular soldier, yet still not a Centurion. His helmet was tucked under his arm, and he was flanked on either side by Percy and Leila. They sat in their seats, and Frank was given one near them. The meeting began, and went rather smoothly, until finally Octavian rose with a flourish.

"It has come to my attention, through the delicate study of the auguries, that _Probatio_ Zhang is a descendant of none other than Shen Lun, who forced us away from our original home, in San Francisco!" The augur revealed dramatically, causing an uproar in the senate. Frank shot a glance to Percy, whose face was blank, though he could see the rage in his eyes. Reyna tried to get the senators to calm down, but they refused to listen.

A deafening crack of thunder sounded, and the group got silent. Frank could see Percy gripping the arm-rests on his seat, his knuckles turning white. He rose from his seat, and his calm façade remained in place.

"Are you blaming one of my legionnaires for the actions of his ancestor, Octavian?" Percy asked. "Because if you are, I would like to draw attention to your own grandfather, who murdered two citizens of New Rome. Are we to throw you in prison for that?"

"There was no proof my grandfather did that!" Octavian exclaimed.

"And there's no proof that Shen Lun caused the earthquake. It was all assumptions, and let me assure you, he was many generations removed from my father. His demigod ancestor belonged to our ancient people, exiled to China in the aftermath of Crassus defeat at the Battle of Carrhae." Percy declared, though Frank had no idea how he knew that. "Even you, Octavian, have more godly blood in you than Shen Lun did, and if _you_ can barely use a bow, a trait all children, and most legacies, of Apollo have, then what makes you think that Shen Lun, a legacy with barely any connection to the sea, could cause an earthquake?"

There was no answer for that, but Percy ploughed on.

"Dakota." He said, drawing the attention of the centurion. "You're a son of Bacchus. Do you have the power to drive people insane, as your father does?"

The Centurion of the Fifth shook his head, and Percy turned to Vanessa, a legacy of Venus.

"Vanessa, can you change your appearance at will, or charmspeak others, like your grandmother, Venus can?"

"No, Centurion Jackson, I cannot." She said with a soft smile on her face.

"Then why are we to assume that Shen Lun caused the destruction?" Percy asked, receiving silence. "I say that this was an attempt by the augur, who we all know has had issue and arguments with myself, to discredit my decision to make Frank Zhang, and exemplary legionary, even if he is a _Probatio_ , my _Optio_."

"That's a serious allegation, Centurion Jackson." Reyna said, seriously, her face blank.

"It's false!" Octavian screeched. "He and the Praetor have planned this as treason! Yes, they are trying to betray Rome by bringing another legacy of Neptune in, to destroy our home!"

It was becoming clear that Octavian was delusional, but he sealed his fate with his next words.

"She opened her legs to the Sea Spawn, just to draw more power around herself!" He exclaimed, pointing at Reyna, who rose rapidly. "She plans to crown him a dictator! To betray the Rome we love so much, for a son of _Neptune_ , a god who we do not trust!"

Before anyone could act, Percy had sprinted across the room and driven his fist so hard into Octavian that a loud ' _Crack!'_ was heard. The augur's head snapped to the side, and he fell, motionless. All looked at Percy, whose face was contorted in rage.

"It is one thing to insult me. It is one thing to insult our Praetor." He growled out. "But to insult _MY_ father, and expect no retribution? Arrest me if you must, but I promise you, I saved him a lifetime of torture at my father's hand."

The crowd was silent, until Reyna spoke.

"The laws are clear. The Augur is sacrosanct." Her voice broke, and she indicated to two of the unarmed guards that were present. "Arrest the Centurion, and take him to a cell. We will hold a trial next week."

Frank watched in horror as Percy was bound by the guards, and escorted out, though he didn't struggle, or even put up a fight. Things were not going well in Rome. One of the senators finally spoke, after several minutes.

"Did he- Did he just break Octavian's neck… with a punch?"

 **MMXVII**

 **AN: Wow, bet you didn't expect that! I didn't either to be honest, but I remembered a scene from the Fall of Cadia where a newly resurrected Roboute Gulliman punches a Chaos Terminator through a marble pillar. Obviously, Percy isn't** _ **that**_ **strong, but like the senator asked, he** _ **did**_ **break his neck with a punch, though Octavian was also about as thin as a straw. Please don't kill me, especially not with a single punch to the head.**

 **Cheers, CombatTombat**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

While the citizens of New Rome scrambled to watch the trial of Perseus Jackson, Centurion of the Fourth Cohort, and Son of Neptune, so too did the gods on Olympus, each tuning in on Vulcan TV, hidden cameras inside the court house, so while only those who made it inside could watch, any god or immortal was able to. In the Olympian throne room, the council was divided, with some gods, led by Neptune, supporting his son, while others, led by Apollo, demanded his death. Others, most importantly Zeus, remained neutral, not willing to commit to a side.

The council became silent as the trial began, with the Praetor, Reyna, beginning the proceedings. Diana wasn't sure what side she would support. On one hand, Neptune was right, the augur had insulted him gravely, and Perseus _had_ defended the honour of his father, and if it had been one of her hunters, she would defend him the same way that Neptune was. On the other hand, regardless of what he said, the Augur was sacrosanct, and was not supposed to be harmed. She began listening to the prosecution, who was grilling Perseus heavily.

" _And before this… confrontation… you were reported as to beating the augur heavily, correct?"_ The lawyer asked, another legacy of Apollo, though this one was older.

" _We engaged on the Field of Mars, where all legion related activity occurs. Surely you haven't forgotten that the augur, at the time of the incident, was also a Senior Centurion is the legion."_ Perseus responded. _"Any injuries he obtained during his service are something any legionary is expected to receive. I was beaten by my cousin several times, and I'm sure even you did during your time in the legion."_

Mercury chuckled, clearly enjoying the show before him.

" _But this means that you had no issues with harming an augur?"_ The lawyer asked, earning a growl from Neptune. The lawyer representing Perseus rose rapidly.

" _Objection, your honour, loaded question!"_ The lawyer exclaimed, and the judge sustained it. Perseus whispered something to him, and the judge paused.

" _Ask the question once more, councillor. The defendant will answer._ " That surprised Diana, as she knew what the implications of a wrong answer would have.

" _Due to your previous confrontation, is it reasonable to say that you had no issue harming the augur?"_ The prosecutor asked.

" _I had no issue harming Octavian as a Centurion, and as a person, but when he addressed me, on the field, where training fights are common, I refused to be insulted. When I beat him to the ground, he was a Centurion._ " Perseus answered.

" _And when you snapped his neck?"_ The prosecutor asked with a smirk.

" _When he insulted my father, claiming he was an untrustworthy god, he lost his right to life. Even as the Augur of New Rome, all know that insulting an Olympian, especially one of the elder ones, is a death sentence."_ Perseus said, this time addressing the jury. _"If it had been Jupiter, none would have batted an eye, but since it was Neptune, it was acceptable, because he wasn't important. Romans believe that Neptune dislikes them, but answer me this, if Neptune didn't want us to succeed, would we have defeated Carthage at sea, in the First Punic War? Would Augustus have triumphed over Antony and his foreign queen, who worshiped false gods, if Neptune had not guided our navy at Actium?"_

Diana had to admire the boy's political acumen. He had turned this trial into a moral scolding. He had quickly forced the jurors to admit to themselves that because it was Neptune, and not Jupiter, or even Mars, the insult was tolerated, whereas had it been the other two, it would have been met with further retribution.

" _I said it before the senate, and I'll say it now. I saved Octavian from a lifetime of torture at the hands of my father. I saved him from the pain of having offended an Olympian God. I do not regret my actions, because they were not unfounded."_ Perseus declared. _"I defended the honour of my father. Can anyone truly say the same of their own parents, who Octavian mocked and belittled, allowing their shrines to fall into disrepair? Allowing funds allocated to the Augury to go to improving the shrines of Jupiter and Apollo, while the others, those of Mars, Neptune, Bellona, Ceres, Juno, Vulcan, all major gods, went untended, but for their children?"_

And just like that, Perseus had won. They all knew it, and even Apollo, stubborn Apollo, recognized it. He grunted, but said nothing. Jupiter rose from his throne, grasping his Master Bolt.

"They boy speaks truly." He declared. "Mars, go and proclaim his innocence. Let the Romans know they need a new augur. And claim that boy of yours."

Mars nodded, and vanished in a flash, before appearing in the midst of the courthouse.

" _I come before you, direct from Olympus, on the orders of Jupiter himself!"_ Mars declared. _"Perseus Jackson is innocent, and not at fault. You are to choose a new augur, one not blinded by personal ambition. Do not fail us again."_

He paused, and the Romans closed their eyes, expecting him to vanish.

" _Frank Zhang!_ " Mars declared, and a tall, bulky demigod rose. _"I claim you, a Son of Mars, destined for greatness, for glory."_

Then, the god began shining, and everyone _truly_ closed their eyes. The message sizzled out, and Mars reappeared in the throne room, pleased with himself. The gods waited for Jupiter to speak.

"Apollo, you are not to pursue this further." He ordered, before turning to his brother. "Because your son is in the right, he lives. He is respectful to us, and for that, he also lives. But do not forget, just because he is your son, he is not safe."

Neptune nodded, but Diana noticed the way that his grip tightened on his trident. Then he vanished, the smell of salt left in his wake. She sighed, wishing she could return to her hunt, but unfortunately, she was still restricted by the orders of Zeus. Instead, she decided to watch Perseus, to get an idea on the type of man he was. The sight she witnessed amused her greatly. The Centurion of the Fourth was currently cowering as the Praetor, Reyna, wailed on him with her fists. The other Centurion of the Fourth, Leila, and the newly claimed son of Mars, Frank Zhang, watched on, not sure on what to do.

" _I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"_ Perseus was repeating. _"By the gods! Reyna, please!"_

Diana knew the two were intimate, yet here was the Son of Neptune, the Slayer of Krios, letting a girl beat down on him, refusing to defend himself. It was endearing, in a way. She swiped her hand through the message, a small smile on her face, though she quickly cleared it when she saw Apollo looking at her oddly.

 **MMXVII**

 **AN: Hope you enjoyed! Jupiter, as a Roman God, is more just and fair the Zeus, the paranoid Greek asshole. That's why Percy isn't killed. Also, plot armour, duh. Sorry I didn't post sooner! My internet had been out for a few days, and it just now came back up!**

 **Cheers, CombatTombat**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Percy had become something of a celebrity in New Rome, a fact he hated immensely. Due to being cleared by the gods, many saw his actions as those of a saviour, rather than a murderer, an interesting change of events, considering some of them had actually recommend _crucifying_ him. He ducked into a side alley to avoid a cluster of older demigods, who had decided that Percy needed to be protected at all times from detractors, calling themselves 'Praetorians' which created more problems than it solved. It also didn't help that they saw his reluctance as a sign for why he needed more protection. These Praetorians had spread their philosophy far and wide, and it had even spread into the legion.

Percy could see the parallels. He was close to becoming what Augustus was to the Roman Republic, though his rise was completely unintentional. Anything he did now was scrutinized closely, with detractors and supporters ripping it to pieces. He sighed, sneaking his way to his house, having to scale the walls and come down through the compluvium, just to avoid the group of Praetorians sitting out front, waiting for him. He sighed, and put on a pot of coffee. He felt like he was going to be drinking a lot of it in the coming weeks. The door to his house unlocked, opened, closed, and locked again, so Percy knew that it was Reyna. She was the only other person who had a key to his house.

He poured two cups, and carried it out, one in each hand. She took one from him wordlessly, and sat down in what had been designated as her chair.

"You have groupies now." She finally said, ten minutes into her visit.

"Oh my gods, I have groupies now." He groaned, eliciting a giggle from Reyna. He looked at her in surprise. "Did Reyna Ramirez-Arellano just _giggle_?" 

She glared at him, and he realized his mistake. She didn't like her last name, at all.

" _Mea Culpa_." He apologized. "Still, I've never known my bad-ass warrior-girlfriend to giggle before."

"Warrior-girlfriend? Is that my title?" She asked him, a smile playing on her lips. He grinned.

"Oh yeah, 'Reyna, Praetor of Rome, Warrior-Girlfriend of Percy Jackson, the luckiest guy in the world'." He told her, and she laughed, a sound he _really_ liked. "I thought about having little business cards made, but Leila told me that might be going too far."

"She's a smart girl, Percy." Reyna said with a smile. "And a good friend, so I know that even if I'm not around to smack you for doing something stupid, she is."

"That's why she's been doing it?" He asked her incredulously. "She wouldn't tell me why, just kept saying 'orders.'"

Reyna hummed, an acknowledgement she wouldn't vocalise, and Percy let out a laugh of his own. Then his mood sobered, as he remembered the groups outside.

"I know I'm not the only one noticing the patterns here, with citizens forming militias to protect me." He said, and Reyna's smile died on her face, something he hated doing, but knew he had to. "Half the senate expects me to declare myself dictator, imperator, Augustus, or even Rex, and the other half wants me to. I'm not sure what to do here."

It was a hard thing for any Roman to admit they didn't know what to do, and both of them recognized the seriousness of the conversation. Reyna sighed and put her mug down, before pinching the bridge of her nose.

"What do you want, Percy?" She asked, and he paused.

"I don't- I don't actually know." He finally said. "All I've ever done, I've done in the belief that it will help Rome. Beyond that? I've never _had_ any personal desires. In reality, although she treated me as a son, Lupa raised a weapon. Point me at an enemy, and I can destroy them, in battle, or politically, but gods help me, I don't actually know what I want out of my life."

It was tough to admit, but it was true. Percy knew no other life than that of a weapon, to be used by whoever was in command.

"You are _not_ a weapon, Perseus Jackson." Reyna growled at him, and he jumped at the fierceness in her voice. "You are a warrior, a general, and a statesman. You _use_ the weapon, and sometimes, yes, you are the weapon, but it is not _who_ you are. You claim you have no purpose beyond destroying the enemies of Rome? I say that your purpose _is_ Rome. But sometimes, you must take charge of your purpose. Take charge, Percy. Become the person Lupa, Jason, and I know you to be. Make the name of Neptune be feared and admired, and make sure all know it was the Son of Neptune who did so."

She stared at him as she finished her rant, and he stared right back.

"I have two things to say to that." He rose from his seat, walking further into his house, Reyna following him. "First, I think we've held off the elections for the Praetorship long enough. I'll run, and I honestly doubt anyone will run against me, and if they do, there's no chance they'd win. We need to prepare for my election."

He was silent as he stared into the inner courtyard of his house, watching the fountain gurgle the water.

"The second thing?" Reyna asked him, leaning against the door that led to his room. Perfect.

"That rant you did?" She nodded at him. "That was _really_ hot."

He pushed her back gently, into his room, and closed the door, the last sound escaping a giggle.

 **MMXVII**

 **AN: We get a deeper look into the ramifications of the trial, which is going to lead to a series of events that I had planned in the original draft of this story, before I began rewriting it to go deeper into Percy's background as a Roman. We're going to see more politics, drama, and action before Jason shows up on a massive bronze flying trireme. The Camp Jupiter he remembers will be much more different than the one he returns to.**

 **Cheers, CombatTombat**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Like Percy has suspected, he won the election to Praetor almost instantly. Three other candidates had thrown their hats in the ring, and then Percy had strolled up to a podium during a legion dinner, announced he was running, and returned to his seat. Frank had enjoyed watching the faces of the other candidates, as they realized that they had _no_ chance of winning against the man who killed an augur and was cleared by the _gods_.

Speaking of the augury, Frank was pleased by the new augur, a child of Apollo that had come from the Fourth Cohort, ironically, though she chose to remain a legionary in the cohort, only doing her duties when required. Unlike Octavian, she was good at what she did, making their lives much easier.

Election day had come, and without even rigging the elections, Percy won ninety percent of the votes. Frank didn't even know who the other ten percent could have voted for, but neither was he bothered by it. What he was bothered by was the fact that he was currently escorting two children of Pluto to Percy, having found them by the Caldecott Tunnel entrance. He knocked on Percy's door, after scaring the Praetorians outside off.

"Who were they?" The older boy asked, tipping his head towards the scattering Praetorians.

"Evocati, uh, retired legionnaires who decided that Percy's the second coming of Augustus or something." Frank said, waiting for the door to open. "Groupies, basically."

The door flung open, and Percy stood there, wearing the purple toga of the Praetor over a set of incredibly rare bronze armour, one of the heirlooms of the legion. He looked at Frank, before his eyes wandered over to the two accompanying him.

"Frank?" He asked slowly.

"They appeared at the Caldecott Tunnel. Claim to be children of Pluto." He informed him, noticing the way Percy's eyes widened a fraction.

"That's a bold claim to make." Percy said, looking at the taller boy.

"I have papers to prove it." He said, handing a scroll over to Percy.

"I can open this here? Or do I need to call an assembly of the senate?" He asked.

"Here is fine." Percy opened the scroll, his eyes flickering along, before he looked up at the boy.

"Ambassador to Pluto?" Percy said, more to himself. "It's about time." He rolled the scroll back up, before sticking it in his toga, and extending his hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Ambassador di Angelo. Or do you prefer Nico?"

"Nico is fine." He responded, shaking Percy's hand.

"Frank, go assemble the legion. We'll induct Hazel after my meeting with the Senate." Percy said, before grabbing his arm, and pulling him in close. "Stand for her, Frank. She'll need a friend, and there's no better."

Frank nodded, and turned to the girl, Hazel, giving her a shy smile, which she returned.

"Come on, I'll take you to the barracks, and show you around from there. We'll make our way to the Senate House, and the meeting should be concluded by then." He said, before setting off in a slow pace so that she could keep up.

She asked questions, and he answered them, pointing out facts about each of the places they were visiting. She was talkative, though she did use some phrases that Frank didn't understand, but he assumed it came from growing up in New Orleans. All in all, he enjoyed the walk, and by the end, had decided he didn't mind standing for her, when the time came.

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The meeting in the Senate House went well. They had all been surprised by the appearance of Ambassador Nico di Angelo, just like Percy had been, but the papers he submitted were admissible, and by the end of the session, New Rome had a new ambassador, one for Pluto. Nico wondered how they would react if they knew he was really a Greek, but didn't ponder it for too long. Surprisingly, the Senate voted to have a house built for him. It wasn't large by any account, yet the gesture was important. He met with Percy's Co-Praetor, and girlfriend, Reyna, who seemed to be the female version of Percy.

The two seemed to have silent conversation, until Reyna glared at Percy, only to get a massive smile in return. He kissed her on the cheek and vanished, leaving the two together.

"I'm sorry about that." She apologized. "Percy's been dealing with hero-worship from the younger legionnaires, and he's had to put down a few cults in the past two weeks. It's becoming tiresome."

"Hero-worship? Why, what did he do?" Nico asked, genuinely surprised. Even Thalia, the Heroine of the Great Prophecy, was treated like a normal person.

"It's a combination of things." The Praetor revealed. "He killed Krios in one-on-one combat, letting another centurion destroy Saturn's throne, but the thing that really drew people to him happened a month and a half ago. Our former Augur decided that he could insult myself, Percy, and Neptune in front of him and get away with it. Percy killed him."

"I- What? Isn't that supposed to be illegal?" Nico spluttered out.

"Oh, it was. I had to arrest him." Reyna said, her voice tightening up some. "But then Mars showed up in the middle of our trial, and acquitted him, which started the majority of the problems we're having. Half the Senate sees Percy as a potential dictator, while the other half sees him as the new Augustus. The citizens, for the most part, support Percy, which is concerning those senators further."

"I'm surprised you're letting me know all this." Nico admitted. "I'm not one of you, not really."

"Your status as ambassador says you are." Reyna told him softly. "When you're here, you are a senator, and will be treated with the due respect, but you also represent your father, and we Romans admire Pluto greatly."

"Why?" Nico asked. "Most people would be scared of the God of the Underworld."

Reyna shrugged. "Death is a part of life. Who are we to dictate how it is lived?"

Nico decided he liked this place.

 **MMXVII**

 **AN: Hazel is here, and Nico is Ambassador to Pluto.**

 **Cheers, CombatTombat**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Hazel screamed as she watched Percy fall off the edge of the glacier, taking the army of ghosts with him. Frank swore loudly at her side, before ramming his Gladius into Alcyoneus heart, and since they were in Canada, the giant dissolved into dust, cursing the both of them. Hazel fell to her knees, knowing that Percy was dead because she wasn't fast enough. Before Frank could say anything, a massive eruption of water occurred, and Percy tumbled from the air onto the ground, before rolling onto his back.

"Ow." He muttered, his eyes screwed shut, before cracking one open, and looking at Frank and Hazel. "I'd really appreciate it if Reyna doesn't hear about this."

Hazel didn't say anything, instead rushing over, and wrapping Percy up in a tight hug. He squeezed her gently, before pushing her back a little.

"There's a massive cache of Imperial Gold weapons and armour at the ocean floor. Do you think you can pull it all out?" He asked her, and she wiped her eyes before nodding.

"Good." He said. "I'm going to pass out now, so please don't panic." 

Percy proceeded to exactly that, and Frank picked him up, slinging him over his shoulder, and moving him away from the edge of the glacier, not risking him falling off again. Hazel reached out with her powers, feeling the mass of Imperial Gold that Percy had mentioned, and pulled it towards her. It took a few moments, but the weapons began popping out of the ground, or out of the water, piling up around her. After ten minutes, Hazel had almost a hundred sets of Imperial Gold Armour, and thrice as many weapons. She didn't even know that the Legion _had_ these resources.

Behind her, Percy regained consciousness with a groan, before becoming silent again.

"Hazel?" He said, and she turned to him. "You, my dear, are amazing."

She blushed, and looked down, earning a laugh from Percy and Frank before Frank stopped.

"How are we getting this all back to camp?" He asked, and Percy smiled at him, before letting out an incredibly loud taxi cab whistle. There was nothing, and then Arion appeared before them again, neighing angrily.

"Yeah, yeah, nice to see you too, you bastard." Percy replied. "You can keep swearing at me, at which point, I'll cut your foal-maker off, or you can listen, and do as Hazel says."

He gave her a meaningful glance, and she cleared her throat, causing the horse to flick his head towards her.

"We need to bring all this weapons and armour back to Camp Jupiter. Can you help?" She asked, earning another series of neighs from the horse.

"Hey! Watch your language! Hazel doesn't need to hear that." Percy snapped at the horse. "It doesn't matter that she doesn't understand you, you don't say things like that around a person like Hazel!"

"Percy, argue with the horse later, help now." Frank grunted at him, pulling armour onto Arion's chariot. "Gods of Olympus, are we even going to be able to fit this all in?"

"It's enchanted, it'll fit." Hazel told him, before helping as well. Arion waited patiently, neighing loudly occasionally, earning rebukes from Percy. After an hour, they had packed the chariot up, and climbed in, before shooting off towards Camp Jupiter.

Percy sat down next to Hazel, playing with the _SPQR_ ring he had begun wearing on his right hand. It was a bulky signet ring, made of silver, a large eagle in the centre, though he was the only one who wore it. Not even Reyna wore one. He had left one day, and come back with it on, a goofy smile on his face.

"You did great, Hazel." He told her. "Not many could've handled their cool like you did, especially not with as many traumas as we faced, especially on this quest."

"But what about my past? This entire thing is my fault." She sniffled, and Percy wrapped his arm around her, pulling her into his chest.

"You listen to me, Hazel Levesque, none of this is your fault. You were manipulated, lied to, and betrayed, and when it mattered, you were a hero." He said into her hair. "I'm proud to call you not only one of my legionnaires, but one of my friends. I'll defend you to my dying day, I promise."

She burrowed into his chest, letting the safety of being held by Percy was over her. Here was a leader that she would follow. If the leaders of the world in her time had been like Percy, she doubted the war would ever have broken out.

"Uh, guys, we have a problem." Frank cut in, and Percy was on his feet in an instant, almost throwing Hazel off him, though it didn't bother her, because she was up shortly after as well. In front of them, a huge monster army was battering away at the legion, being forced back by the large tower-shields of the soldiers. Percy swore loudly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

While he had scolded Arion for swearing in front of Hazel, what he said at that moment could've given the horse a run for his money, and Hazel _could_ understand him. He turned to his two quest mates.

"All right, take the chariot behind our lines, start handing out weapons to all of those who need them." He ordered, grabbing the shaft of the Eagle. "I'll draw their attention from the legion."

"How are you going to do that?" Frank cried out, grabbing Percy's arm. The Praetor smiled at him sadly.

"Painfully, most likely. Good luck, Optio Zhang." He grasped Frank's forearm, before rolling out the back of the chariot into a group of monsters.

He swung the Eagle, bludgeoning the group, and forcing them to dissolve. He was currently in front of the legion, and they could all see him. He rose the Eagle, so that both sides knew it had been returned.

"Twelfth Legion!" He roared out, before a _massive_ lightning bolt dropped from the sky, obliterating hundreds of monsters. _"Fulminata!"_

The legion echoed his cry, before centurions began barking out orders, and the legion moved forward, marching their way to reunite with their praetor. The few monsters that survived the blast of the lightning bolt were quickly despatched, and soon, the legion was a full hundred yards ahead of where they had been before. Percy handed the Eagle off to Dakota, the junior Centurion of the Fifth, and would allow him to use it to redeem his cohort.

Percy was a whirlwind of death and destruction, fighting in an entirely un-Roman manner, spinning and ducking, smacking with the flat of his blade, and using his powers, becoming a one-man army, tearing his way towards Polybotes, who was waiting for him at the end of the horde of monsters. Percy barely noticed as the Amazons joined in the fight on the side of the Legion, so focused was he on destroying the Giant declared to be Neptune's Bane.

"Terminus!" He called out, and the armless statue appeared at his side.

"Praetor Jackson, how can I help you?" The god asked, as if there wasn't a battle going on around them.

"I need your help to defeat Polybotes." Percy told the god, who gave him an armless shrug.

"Can't help you. He isn't inside the Pomerian." Terminus responded, but Percy wasn't having any of it.

In a surprising display of strength, Percy grabbed the statue, and launched him at Polybotes, who was blindsided by the flying god. Percy didn't wait to press his advantage, throwing himself at the giant, his gladius jabbing in and out, slashing and slicing, before he jumped from the Giant's knee, and impaled his blade into its heart.

"Neptune sends his regards." He told the giant, who only had time to look surprised before fading into dust.

He turned and looked around. Despite the reinforcements from the Amazons, the fight was still hard pressed, or it was, until Percy gathered up all the rage and anger he felt, and directed it upwards. Storm-clouds gathered over head, and the sun vanished, before massive lightning strikes, on par with the one the Eagle had produced, began falling from the sky, eradicating dozens of monsters at a time, yet avoiding the legionnaires, and the Amazons. The remaining monsters quickly fled, trying to avoid the godly wrath that had become incarnate in Percy.

They didn't get far.

With a yell, Percy thrust his hand out, forming a barrier of water from the Little Tiber that blocked off the escaping monsters, before bringing it crashing down on them, drowning them, washing them away, or even crushing them under the pressure. He stumbled forward, but someone caught his arms. It was Leila, his old friend. Before either of them could say anything, he was swarmed by legionnaires, who hoisted him into their shields, carrying him. Normally, this was how a Praetor was elected, but he was _already_ Praetor, so he didn't know what they were doing, until he registered the calls he was hearing. He blanched, as one of his worst fears came true.

"Imperator! Imperator! Imperator!" The legion was chanting over and over again, and soon, the cheer travelled not only from the legion before him, but the city they had been defending, as civilians rushed out to join the celebration.

"Imperator Jackson!"

 **MMXVII**

**AN: Right, so this was the idea all along. Percy, though displays of leadership and power, has just been proclaimed Imperator, which, in the Roman Republic, meant that a general could request a triumph. In the Empire, however, Imperator was one of the titles that would be granted, which was meant to represent their control over the military. It's also, unsurprisingly, where we get the word 'emperor'. I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this.**

 **Cheers, CombatTombat**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

The _Argo II_ began its descent over Camp Jupiter, and Jason gripped the railings tightly, hoping that he and the Greeks would be warmly received by his former home. He knew Percy would be Praetor by now, he had been gone nine months, they would've had no other choice, especially not with Octavian around. He just hoped that arriving in a massive bronze trireme wouldn't hamper the diplomatic efforts. As they broke through the clouds, he got his first glimpse of New Rome in nine months, Piper holding his hand by his side. The city looked… alive. There was activity in the streets, and Jason could see construction on new sections of the city that hadn't been there before.

A loud ' _pop_ ' filled the air, along with smoke, and once it cleared, Jason saw the armless god Terminus on the deck, an angry look on his marble face.

"What is _this_?" He exclaimed loudly. "An armed warship above my city? Jason Grace, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Jason froze, and unfortunately, Leo chose that moment to speak.

"Dude, where are your arms?" He asked the god, going to poke him with a screw driver.

"Is this how you Greeks treat your gods?" A new, amused voice cut in, and Jason whipped his head around to see Percy reclining on the spar of the mast, head lolled to the side. Jason opened his mouth to speak, only for Annabeth to do so before him.

"How did you get up here?" She demanded, causing Percy to arch an eyebrow.

"You bring a warship to my home, and think I'm not going to come investigate?" He asked them, before looking at Jason. "Cousin, have you told them _anything_ about me?"

"I, uh- I honestly haven't had the time." Jason answered.

"Huh." Percy said, and then sighed. "Terminus, let them dock their ship over the Field of Mars. That's outside the Pomerian Line, and puts them inside our ballista range, if they try anything."

Thalia stumbled onto the deck at his point, clearly agitated at having been woken up. Piper followed shortly after, rubbing her arm. Percy took one glance at Thalia, and then his eyes flickered to Jason, before going to Thalia. She stared at him as if he was an alien.

"Who the Hades is this?" She snapped, looking to Annabeth for an answer. Jason answered instead.

"Thalia, this is Percy, my cousin. Percy, this is Thalia, my sister. _That_ Thalia, too." He finished, looking at Percy, waiting for a reaction.

His cousin stared at the duo for a moment, before leaning backwards, flying off the spar of the mast, performing a backflip, then landing on his feet, and strolling forward, before pausing several feet in front of Thalia.

"Greek?" He asked, and she nodded at him, her eyes narrowed. "Huh."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked him, eyes flickering with electricity.

"You don't look like Jason, and I remember Lupa saying that he looks remarkably like his father." Percy observed. "Which means you must look like your mother."

Thalia growled, but Percy didn't seem intimidated in the slightest. Suddenly, a group of three Pegasi landed on the deck of the _Argo_ , and their riders dismounted quickly. Jason recognized Reyna and Frank Zhang, but the last person, a young girl wearing a full set of armour, was new to him. Instead of the traditional purple cloak of the Praetors, Reyna wore a red cape, a _paludamentum_ , a symbol of a legate, or a general, rather than Praetor, something which confused him. Frank wore the armour of a Centurion, which made sense, because Percy had been grooming him for command, and upon becoming Praetor, would have needed a successor.

"Percy, you can't just vanish like that now that you're…" Reyna trailed off when Percy shot her a look, but Annabeth didn't like it, so she made herself known.

"Now that he's _what_ , exactly?" She asked sharply, but Reyna didn't even bother answering her, instead looking right at Percy. Jason knew he needed to intervene.

"Percy? What's happened?" He asked carefully. Percy was different than he remembered. More in tune with his emotions, guarding them carefully, which wasn't really new, but it was around him. His cousin let out a deep sigh.

"I suppose I'd rather you find out now than later." He said, and Jason braced himself for the news that the Romans had joined with Gaea. "I've become Imperator. I'm now a Caesar."

Jason felt his heart stop. "What?" He asked weakly, Piper by his side in a flash to stabilize him.

"I, uh, recovered the Eagle in Alaska, rescued the legion, and then killed Polybotes." Percy told him. "They raised me as Praetor afterwards, and the city, and senate, ratified it the next day. I have a pretty long title now. Reyna knows it."

Percy looked over at Reyna, who rolled her eyes, before taking a step forward, and clearing her throat.

"Before you stands Imperator Perseus Jackson, Caesar of the Tertio Imperii, The Titan Killer, The Giant Slayer, Princeps, Patronus to all Romans." She announced, though there was a clear disdain for having to do so. Even Percy wasn't hiding the look of annoyance on his face.

"I'm sorry about all of that." He said with an apologetic smile. "It's required when introducing myself to potential allies. Move your ship over to the Field of Mars. Give me half an hour to assemble the Legion, and then we'll meet you in proper style."

He vanished in a spray of water, something that caught Jason off guard, and he whirled onto Reyna.

"Where did he learn to do _that_?" He asked her. She shrugged at him.

"Supposedly, Salacia taught him, on the journey north to Alaska," Frank said, "Percy vanished for an hour into the ocean, all he told me was that he met with his step-mother and half-brother."

The trio of Romans mounted their Pegasi and flew away, and Leo began slowly moving the _Argo II_ towards the Field of Mars, as Percy had told them to. Annabeth and Thalia watched with interest as the legion marched into formation, but Piper remained by his side. Eventually, Thalia moved away from the railing, and made her way over to Jason.

"You didn't tell me he was _that_ powerful." Thalia said to him, and he knew instantly who she was talking about, although, it wouldn't have taken a genius to know.

"To be fair, the last time I saw him, he _wasn't_ , or at least, he never showed it off around me." Jason said. "But it's been nine months, Thalia. We're Romans. Adapt and overcome, essentially."

"Are you jealous that he's essentially the king now?" Thalia asked.

"Imperator." Jason corrected. "Rome doesn't have kings."

"He's right." Annabeth agreed. "They have emperors, which is much different."

"How?" Piper asked, and Jason gave her a tight smile.

"Roman Emperors tended to be killed as time went on." He said. "I don't think anything in the world has the stones to kill Percy."

"That powerful?" Annabeth asked.

"More, I'm starting to think." Jason replied solemnly.

 **MMXVII**

 **AN: Right, so, I just deleted two chapters, and rewrote this one, at two in the morning, after downing an entire cup of tea. Hope you enjoyed it, as much as I did writing it!**

 **Cheers, CombatTombat**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

New Rome was almost a dream come true for Annabeth. Even from the sky, she could see how meticulously the city was laid out, how each building served its purpose, nothing going to waste. Hopefully, after the war, she would be allowed to come back and study the city, maybe apply some of what she learns from it in Olympus. The most impressive part, however, was the legion assembled before her. Jason had told them all he knew about it, yet it had clearly also changed in the time since he had been taken by Hera. Or Juno, or whichever of her aspects kidnapped him.

They had been expecting a force of two hundred Roman Demigods, wielding a mismatch of Imperial Gold weapons and armour. Instead, there was a single, unified army in front of her, perhaps five hundred strong, comprised of adults and teens, though Annabeth couldn't see anyone younger than maybe thirteen in the group. They all wore the well-known segmented armour of the Roman Legions, and each had a gladius and tower-shield, as well as two javelins at their disposal. This was almost a proper legion, Annabeth realized, and the thought terrified her for a moment, imagining this force as enemies, instead of allies.

At the head of the legion, mounted on a large, black Pegasus, was Percy, Jason's cousin. Only now, Annabeth realised she was most likely looking at Perseus, the Imperator. He wore a muscled cuirass made of Imperial gold, with several segmented plates serving as pauldrons. The armour itself had several scenes on it, and although she didn't know what they were, she recognised that most of the scenes depicted Perseus completing some scene or another. His vambraces went from his knuckles to his elbows, which had lions' heads serving as extra weight at the end, though, since it was made of the magical metal, she assumed it wasn't very heavy. He wore combat pants which held a sheathed sword on his left hip, and a wicked looking knife on his right. He had greaves that went from the top of his ankles to his knees, and like his vambraces, these had lions' heads at the top as well.

His helmet was tucked under his left arm, and looked to be the standard _galea_ that was attributed to the Roman Legions, though this one had an expressionless mask covering the face, made of silver. Annabeth assumed it would be intimidating to see that blank face fighting against you, though she did wonder how the field of vision worked. Maybe it was enchanted. Instead of a horse plume, there was a crest that ran from front to back, which almost looked like it could be used as a weapon itself.

In the time it took Annabeth to notice all these things, Leo had finally clambered down from the _Argo_ , the last of them to disembark, the group deciding to leave Coach Hedge aboard in order to prevent any incidents from occurring. Once they were all assembled, the girl from before, Reyna, Annabeth remembered Jason telling her, stepped forward.

"Welcome, Greeks, to New Rome, the seat of Camp Jupiter, and the Third Empire." She greeted, and Annabeth was surprised with how quiet the legion was. "Caesar greets you as friends, and hopes that before you leave on your vital quest against Terra, we can come to an agreement for our two forces to unite."

Perseus watched impassively from his steed, but Annabeth swore that he winked at her.

"I welcome into my home, cousins." He said loudly. "Let us settle you into some homes, before meeting at the Senate House for discussions. _Primus Pilus_ Zhang will escort you to the guest homes. Today, we talk politics, but tonight, we shall feast!"

"What is this, a speech from _Julius Caesar_?" Thalia whispered in her ear, grunting when Annabeth elbowed her in the ribs. She smiled at the centurion who escorted them towards the city, watching Jason as he struggled with whether or not to talk to the man.

"Centurion Zhang?" He finally asked, and the centurion stopped, pivoting on a heel. "Why has the legion expanded so much?"

The centurion was silent for a moment, his hand instinctively flexing on the hilt of his sword.

"In the aftermath of Terra's assault on New Rome, Caesar held a debate in the senate over whether or not to recall some retired legionaries, and forming new units out of others." He told Jason, who was listening intently. "The senate agreed, and we brought back many of our recently retired comrades, as well as some older ones, so that each cohort is one hundred strong. A new police force has been raised as well, which currently patrols New Rome. Then there is the Praetorians, though they don't technically exist."

"Praetorians?" Jason asked. "As in the Praetorian Guard?"

"Not exactly." Frank said carefully. "There was a trial a few months back, Percy was the defendant. He was cleared by the gods, and that was what started this whole series of events. In the aftermath of the trial, no one was quite sure what would happen to Percy, so some of his supporters formed a militia to defend him. They called themselves Praetorians."

"Which most likely was made worse when he became Caesar." Annabeth said, and Frank gave her a nod, approval in his eyes.

"Yes, they've been pushing to have him deputise them, but Percy refuses to." Frank said, nodding to several civilians who parted way as he approached. "Most were placated by the recall to active service, but there are a few who want him to make them a separate entity, loyal to him, and him alone."

"And he doesn't want that force behind him?" Piper asked. Frank shook his head.

"He's Imperator, not a tyrant. He doesn't need protection from the people, because he's doing his job." Frank told them, pausing in front of a mansion made of white marble and red tile bricks. "This is where you'll be staying. The staff are all trustworthy, and there'll be a squad of _Custodes_ to make sure no one tries to break in."

"Where are you going?" Jason asked, curious. Frank arched an eyebrow at him.

"I'm _Primus Pilus_ , my duties never end. Prefect Levesque will be here shortly, and she will be your liaison while you are here." Frank said, before vanishing in the busy streets of New Rome.

The mansion did not disappoint, the staff helping them settle in, moving them to rooms, and placing clothes out for them. After an hour, they all met in a living room, with large couches, a coffee table, and even a TV.

"The staff will be reporting our actions to the Prefect." Jason told them. "So, please, Leo, try not to make any ill-timed jokes."

"Why am I the only one being called out?" Leo huffed, though there was no malice behind it. Piper just smacked him on the back of the head. "Yeah, fair enough."

"This is incredibly official, Jason." Annabeth pointed out. "Was it always like this?"

"No." He shook his head. "But I was a praetor for almost four months. This is the new regime letting us all know I don't hold that power anymore. Though I did notice that our augur, Octavian, was missing. I doubt he would miss the opportunity to harass me for bringing Greeks here."

"Oh, that's an easy answer." A new voice chipped in. "Octavian's been dead for months. Before my time, even."

 **MMXVII**

 **AN: Oooh, who's this? Actually, not that difficult to guess. Anyway, hope you enjoyed.**

 **Cheers, CombatTombat**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Piper hadn't been expecting the girl from before, the younger African-American who had landed on the ship. She seemed so innocent, yet here she was describing the murder of a human, even if he sounded absolutely deplorable, as if it was no major matter. Jason was similarly confused, though for different reasons.

"They elected him Praetor, even after he killed the augur?" He asked the girl, Hazel, who nodded with a bright smile.

"Well, nobody liked him, from what I understand." Hazel said. "Once the gods acquitted him, Percy became very well-known and admired around Rome, and the legion. Four other candidates dropped out when they heard he was running. He won ninety percent of the vote!"

"And that doesn't concern you?" Piper asked, doubting the validity of the claim. It was Jason who answered, shaking his head.

"Percy's always been popular with the rank and file. That doesn't surprise me at all." He admitted. "What about this whole Imperator situation? How did that come about, exactly?"

"Well, that's an interesting story, but Percy said I could tell you." Hazel said with a smile.

She then proceeded to explain how Mars arrived telling Percy to take Hazel and Frank to Alaska, and to free Thanatos, who had been chained, which was preventing monsters from staying dead. After a series of events, including intervening in an Amazonian civil war, playing Russian roulette with poison, breaking the siege of Frank's grandmother's house, and an epic battle with a giant in Alaska, Percy and his quest mates not only freed Thanatos, but also recovered the legion's eagle, and almost all the weapons and armour that had been lost in the 1980's. They arrived at camp in time to save the legion, with Hazel and Frank handing out weapons and armour, while Percy used the eagle to destroy masses of monsters, before engaging Polybotes in single combat.

"How did he kill him then?" Piper asked. "You need a god and a demigod to beat a Gigante."

"Oh, Percy asked Terminus for help, but since Polybotes hadn't crossed into the city, he wouldn't." Hazel explained. "So, Percy threw Terminus at Polybotes, and then stabbed him in the heart. The monsters tried to flee after that, but he drowned most of them using the Little Tiber. The rest were finished off quickly, and then the legion raised him on their shields, and called him Imperator. Quite a few of the citizens who had remained came out and did the same. The senate confirmed it the next day."

"Percy…. Threw a marble statue at a Gigante?" Jason asked incredulously. Hazel nodded at him.

"Terminus wasn't very happy, but he was also the one who suggested calling Percy ' _Giganticus_ '. Percy doesn't like the name, but he's been granted it regardless." Hazel told the group. "But, the best part is, despite all this power he has, he still lets the senate rule. Some aren't happy about him being Imperator, but it was the will of the legion, and our right. We couldn't have chosen a better leader!"

Piper noticed Jason flinch, and her heart went out to her boyfriend. The next question caught all of them off guard.

"Are he and Reyna still a thing?" He asked Hazel, who narrowed her eyes at the question.

"The Consul and Imperator are in a healthy, stable _relationship_." She stressed. "Not that it is any of your business."

"How is it not? I'm still a member of the legion, am I not?" Jason countered, only for Hazel to freeze. "I'm not, am I?"

"No." She affirmed quietly. "The senate gave you an honourable discharge for your years of service."

"Did Percy do it?" He asked, and Piper could _feel_ the sadness radiating off him.

"Percy's the reason you were given an honourable discharge." Hazel said. "The Senate wanted to wipe you from our history, a _Damnatio Memoriae_ , but Percy and Reyna shot that down rapidly. Then the Senate tried to give you a dishonourable discharge, but Percy argued that since you had been kidnapped, it wasn't your fault for being absent. He told them in no uncertain terms that you would be given an honourable discharge, and this was while he was still a Centurion."

Jason had a small smile on his face, but Thalia was clearly confused, so she put her hands up in a 'T' shape.

"Time out. An 'honourable discharge?'" She asked, a frown on her face. "That's an actual thing?"

" _Honesta Missio_." None other than Percy Jackson said. "The Twelfth Legion is exactly that, a legion. We have protocols, ways to acknowledge service, and even punishments, though most of those have been rolled back."

"Were you meeting with the Senate?" Jason had a contemplative look on his face, though Piper didn't know why.

"No, with Lupa. She was explaining the history of our relationship with the Greeks." He said, before visibly flinching. "It's not something to be proud of, especially not for us Romans."

"Why not?" Piper asked, curiously.

"Because we started it all." Percy said, collapsing back onto a couch. "We couldn't handle the insult of the Trojan War, so we hunted you down, persecuted you. We supported nations and groups that make me sick to think about."

"Like?" Piper pressed, but Percy shook his head.

"Like I don't want to think about it." He replied. "The Senate meeting will come later, but someone needs to tell the Faun aboard your warship to get away from the ballista, before my men get nervous."

Leo grumbled, but rose, allowing Hazel to escort him. Piper watched them go off, noticing how Hazel kept a respectable distance from Leo, almost as if she was unnerved simply by his presence. Piper frowned, but decided not to say anything. Percy and Jason were talking rapidly back and forth in Latin, with everyone, including Annabeth, watching in confusion. They were talking too quickly, and only picking up small phrases and snippets. Finally, Percy shrugged, and Jason nodded, ending the conversation. Percy rose, and left, two guards snapping into a salute as he passed, before pivoting and following him.

"What was that about?" Piper asked suspiciously. The tone didn't go unnoticed.

"Mostly politics. As a son of Jupiter, I'm afforded several privileges, but since Percy is Imperator, those technically are superseded." Jason explained. "We just compromised on letting me walk by his side, but on his left."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Thalia asked, bored and confused. "It's not like he's royalty or anything, right?"

Jason and Annabeth just stared at her.

"…Were you not listening to anything that was explained over the past hour?" Jason asked his sister after a pause. She shrugged at him. "Percy is Imperator. _Emperor_. According to Roman traditions, he _is_ royalty. We're treating with a sovereign ruler, Thalia."

"Oh. I thought Imperator was just like, a fancy title. Like how Christian Popes' are the 'Most Devout' or something like that." Thalia replied, waving her hand dismissively. "Didn't think it was a big deal."

Suddenly, an explosion rocked their building. The group were on their feet in a flash, and Jason led the rush outside. To their horror, the Argo was firing down on the city, screams filling the air, while soldiers and civilians alike rushed to reach safety. Thalia and Jason exchanged glances, the anger clear in their eyes. Before either of them could react, the river that snaked around the city began rising, lifting clear out of the bed, and forming itself into two hands.

Piper stared in awe as Percy strode passed them, his hands stretched out in front of him, before he made a squeezing gesture. The water hands closed around the Argo, crushing the mast, and even denting the hull, before he jerked his hands down, and the ship crashed into the field outside the city. Silenced filled the air, before someone let out a cry.

"It was the Graecus!" Came a voice, and the call was joined by others. They began crowding around the Greeks, and Piper saw Jason try to calm them down. A brick flew out of nowhere and hit him in the head, and Jason fell down. Piper let out a scream and rushed to his side. There was a bleeding gash on his head, but they were in a terrible position. She held Jason close, and prepared to be suffocated by the mob.

"ENOUGH!" Thunder cracked, and the air became heavy. Piper looked up, only to see Percy standing in front of them, his gladius drawn, and droplets of water _frozen_ around him, just remaining still in the air. The sight terrified Piper, but she couldn't imagine was it was like for the people who could see his face. "I had a legionnaire on board, Prefect Levesque. You know her, and you trust her. I will find her, and we will get to the bottom of this. Do _not_ think to harm my guests."

The warning was dire, and slowly, the mob dispersed. Piper assumed on any other day, or with anyone else, they may have pushed onwards, regardless, but this display of _raw_ power, wielded by the teen they had declared Imperator, seemed to both placate and terrify the crowd. Once they were gone, the water surrounding Percy dropped, rushing into a sewer drain. He turned to them, his face hard, almost carved out of marble. She hadn't thought him very impressive before, not like Jason. He didn't seem to radiate the same power Jason did. Until now.

"I'll send the medicus over." Percy stated, his jaw clenched. "I'll also be putting you under armed guard, at least until I get to the bottom of this."

"You can't do that!" Thalia exclaimed, her body crackling with electricity. She opened her mouth to continue, but Percy cut her off.

"I assure, you, Thalia Grace, that I can." He snapped, his eyes blazing like a storm. "You came into my city with an armed warship. I compromised with you, and let you keep it here. But that same warship just fired onto my city. _My_ people. They want blood, and if you don't want it to be your own, you'll shut up, head back inside, and _do as I say!_ "

His command was emphasized by the gathering of storm clouds above, and the wind picking up. Thalia seemed to realize just how out-matched she was, so she backed up, the lightning dying on her body. She nodded stiffly, before turning and marching back into the mansion. The others slowly followed, leaving Piper with Jason's unconscious body and one very angry Percy Jackson. He sighed, his features softening.

"Let's get him inside. It'll be worse for him to be out here." He said, slipping Jason's arm over his shoulders, before picking him up bridal-style. He led her inside, taking her to a bedroom, where he gently placed Jason on the bed, before moving to a chair in the corner. "He loves you, I think."

Piper spluttered. "What?"

Of course, she loved Jason. Even if their relationship had been built on lies, the one they had created afterwards was _real_ , and so while Piper could easily say she loved her boyfriend, she wasn't sure that he could say the same. Sure, he _liked_ her, a lot, even, but _love_? She wasn't sure if Jason truly knew what it was.

"I watched the way he looks at you." Percy explained. "It's the same way I look at Reyna, and I love that girl with everything in my body. Jason never knew stability. He was taken by Juno when he was two, and sent to live with Lupa for a year, where he learned how to utilize his powers."

Piper already knew this, so she didn't understand why he was telling her.

"Lupa has only ever _raised_ three demigods in her life." He continued, watching Jason closely. "Romulus, Remus, and myself. She cares for all demigods, but she _loves_ me. It was something Jason struggled with. When Reyna and I became close, Jason didn't like that. I was on my way to try and make things up with him when he was kidnapped. I spent four months trying to prevent another election, only to become Praetor myself."

"I never wanted this. Any of this." He motioned around him. "If I had my way, I'd have done my ten years, gone to college, and then lived a comfortable life in New Rome. But Lupa told me after I became Praetor that my life would be difficult, yet rewarding. I'm not to know true peace. Not for many years, at least. If I hadn't risen to power, Jason would no doubt be in my place. He'd have done a much better job than me."

Piper wasn't sure how to reply to that, but she never got the chance, as Percy rose, and left the room. Ten minutes later, an older demigod, carrying the look that most children of Apollo did, jogged in the room, and began looking over Jason, completely ignoring her. She didn't mind. It gave her time to think about everything that had just been said to her.

 **MMXVII**

 **AN: So, people have wanted longer chapters. Here it is, this is twice as long as I normally write, so just over 2k words. Maybe, as I get better at writing, I'll increase, but for now, this is probably going to be my limit. Also, I just submitted all the rest of my pre-written chapters, which was the first fourteen, so updates will become a bit less frequent as I juggle school, gym, and martial arts with writing. Thanks for being awesome, guys!**

 **Cheers, CombatTombat**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Percy stared at the piles of paper he had ahead of him. He normally hated doing any of the paper work that came with his title, but right now, it was the only thing he could think of. He had placed a detachment of Praetorians to protect the Greeks, and thanked every God or Goddess he could think of that they still obeyed him without question. None had seemed to be _too_ angered by the Greeks, which meant that he could trust them to protect them as he ordered.

He was in the midst of signing a report when Reyna stormed through the door. She was clearly angry, and Percy knew what it was about.

"I thought you were trying to get rid of the Praetorians, not use them as a private security force!" She exclaimed. "The senators are worried that a state-sponsored gang is about to appear on the streets, in order to enforce your will."

Percy just leaned back in his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"And I still plan on it, but with this recent mess with the warship, I needed someone impartial, or at least assuredly loyal, to protect the Greeks." He told her calmly. "Jason was hit in the head by a brick, and quite frankly, that mobs lucky I didn't kill them all for that."

Reyna's gaze softened a fraction, and she sat on the edge of his desk. He finished signing the document he was working on, before focusing all his attention.

"Tomorrow, I'm going to make a joint commission of the Senate and the Legion, tasked with investigating what occurred on the _Argo II_." He revealed. Despite his… close… relationship with Reyna, they both knew there were some things he had to keep to himself. "That should placate them enough for most of this to simmer down. If the Greeks _were_ responsible for this attack, they shall be punished accordingly, by _my_ will."

"And what if that goes against the people's wishes? You can't just ignore them." Reyna pointed out. "They'll overthrow you in a flash if they think you don't represent them any further."

"Technically, I don't." He retorted. "You do, as Consul. I'm Caesar, the Imperator. I have to look to the future for _Rome_ , not _Romans_. It sucks, but it's true."

"Wait, is this your way of trying to force the job of pleasing the people to me?" Reyna asked, her eyes narrowed. Percy couldn't resist the opportunity.

"No, the only person that you should be pleasing is me." He said with a grin. Reyna blushed at the innuendo. "But in all seriousness, no, I'm not _trying_ to force the job onto you. I _am_ forcing the job onto you. I don't have the time nor the luxury to be pandering to the people. I have a city-state to run."

Reyna glared at him for a moment, before she relented. "So, what's with all the paperwork?"

"It's mostly simple stuff," Percy sighed, "missives to the Legion, shuffling finances to please everyone. There's only one potential item of note here, but I need to talk with Lupa and Michelle about it."

"The new Augur?" Reyna sounded surprised, which _didn't_ surprise Percy. "What do you need from her?"

He sighed again, and handed her the new order he was working on. She slid from the desk into his lap, curling into his body as she read the sheet. He idly stroked her arm, waiting for her to finish.

"Is this… doable?" Reyna aske, shifting so that she was facing him. He shrugged.

"I'm not sure. That's why I need to talk to them both." He replied, only to be interrupted by a knock at the door. Reyna quickly shifted off his lap, instead moving to a different chair. "Enter."

Frank poked his head in, before fully coming into the room. "Hazel's awake, but we've kept the son of Vulcan sedated, on her recommendation."

"Is he responsible?" Percy asked, and Frank paused. "Is he, Frank?"

"Partially." Frank admitted, hesitantly at that. "Physically, yes, he fired the weapons, but Hazel thinks he's been possessed by a spirit. She said she saw it enter his body."

Percy groaned, earning a sympathetic glance from Reyna. He quickly refocused on the task at hand, looking to Frank.

"I need you to find me a child of Viduus." He ordered, and Frank nodded, saluted fist-to-heart, and bowed out the door. Reyna nodded in approval.

"A child of Viduus will be able to tell if someone else has inhabited the body of the Greek." She said, admiration in her voice. "You're good at his, Percy."

He gave her a weary smile. "I just work hard."

Another knock at the door made him groan again. This time, it was Leila, who didn't look bothered at all that she was interrupting something.

"Jason's awake, and he's been asking for you. The Praetorians sent someone to me, and here I am." She said. "What's up with that, anyway? Using Praetorians, I mean. I thought you were trying to get rid of them?"

"I still am." He assured her. "It's just more efficient for me to use them this way, at this moment."

He rose from his desk, strapping his sword-belt on. "I need you to go to the Fourth, and find Michelle. Tell her I need to see her in her full capacity as Augur, at the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus."

Leila nodded, saluted him, and exited the room. Reyna cut him off before he could reach the door. "What?" He asked her. She didn't reply, and instead slipped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his. He reciprocated, and after a minute, they both broke away, breathless.

"Not that I'm complaining." He murmured into her ear, feeling her shiver at the action. "But what was that for?"

She tucked her head into his shoulder. "You just seemed like you needed it." She hummed. "I love you, you know that, right?"

He smiled into her hair. "Yeah, I know." He responded. "I love you too, even if you can beat me up."

"I think you meant 'especially since you can beat me up.'" Reyna teased him.

"You're most definitely right." He chuckled, before detaching from her embrace, and exiting his office.

He had to go visit his cousins, it seemed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"The Greeks attacked us!" One of the Senators was exclaiming. "Citizen Grace came _with_ them on the ship that attacked our city, and you want to make him Consul?"

Percy kept his face blank, which seemed to make the senators all nervous, which in turn pleased him.

"Senator Michaelson, I already have a team of Senators and Legionaries investigating the attack, which I have already been assured was the actions of Terra, sending a malicious spirit to inhabit one of the Greeks, in order to turn us against them." Reyna responded coolly. "Both Prefect Levesque and Legionary Paulson, Children of Pluto and Viduus, respectively, have confirmed the presence of an additional soul in the body of one Leonidas Valdez, Son of Hephaestus, the Greek form of Vulcan."

Senator Michaelson, who Percy noted to remember, was mollified by the rebuttal, and sat down in his seat. Percy rose from his own, silencing all the murmuring that had followed Reyna's declaration. He felt the rush of power and pride at the influence he wielded, before he pushed it aside.

"Yes, Citizen Grace arrived with the Greeks, but he is still a Roman Citizen. If you have forgotten, which I have not, Jason Grace was a member of the legion for eleven years, served as a Centurion, and as Praetor. He was _kidnapped_ , by a goddess, with the purpose of uniting the Romans and the Greeks to face Terra." He had moved from his position to the centre of the Senate floor. "There is no one more qualified to hold to position of Consul than Citizen Grace. And were there not two consuls in the days of both the Republic and Empire? Did our ancestors not see the wisdom in having two consuls, to ease the burden?"

"Where is our second Imperator, then?" Senator Michaelson called out, and Percy really wasn't liking this guy. "Should you not have an equal, 'to ease the burden' of ruling?"

"That is why I have consuls, Senator Michaelson." Percy said drily. "And there cannot be two Imperators. The last time that happened, one betrayed the faith of our people, destroying our temples, and forcing a new religion on his citizens. I have no wish to see that happen again."

Once more, Senator Michaelson sat, realizing he had been beat. Percy would need to keep an eye on him, and ensure that he wouldn't cause any problems.

"If the Senate truly wishes for another candidate to be put forward, one whom has the same pedigree and service history that Citizen Grace has, I will _gladly_ allow an election to take place." Percy offered, but he was met with silence. Senator Vanessa Hale, a veteran of the legion, and daughter of Venus, rose.

"I move that we confirm Citizen Grace as Consul, for the Imperator is correct. None deserve the role as much as he does, and none will be able to do it with the same skill that he will, save for the Imperator himself, but he doesn't need any more titles." She said with a grin directed towards Percy. He allowed her a small smile.

Gwendolyn Smithson, a veteran of the legion, whom Percy had allowed to retire peacefully, instead of being recalled to service, rose as well. "I second the motion."

Two more senators rose, and the vote was put into effect. Unsurprisingly, it passed. Percy _never_ manipulated votes in the Senate, but he did make it clear that he held the loyalty of several key Senators, which created a power bloc. This bloc, which had taken the ancient name of 'Populares', dominated the Senate, and most incoming Senators, with the exception of the few hereditary holders, joined the party. The meeting continued for several more hours, and at the end, Percy rose, to announce his final plan.

"As I'm sure you noticed, Augur Michelle is here. There is a reason for that." Percy announced, allowing the anticipation to seep into the Senators. "I recently held a discussion with Lady Lupa, and Augur Michelle, over the feasibility of blessing gold at our Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, in order to create new batches of Imperial Gold."

He was met with a shocked silence. It was Vanessa who asked the question no one wanted to.

"Is that… allowed, Imperator?" She questioned gingerly. "I was under the impression that we had lost the right to do so?"

Percy shook his head.

"No, we have not." He told them. "I talked with Lady Lupa, and with Augur Michelle. Lupa revealed to me that the Augury has always had the power to sanctify gold, but Octavian and his family, in long-standing attempt to accrue power, told others that we had lost the sanction from the gods to do so. That was not the case. As long as the gold is consecrated in a temple of Jupiter, it shall become Imperial Gold."

There was hushed murmuring from the other Senators, before Gwen rose again.

"Ave Imperator!" She called out, and the cry was quickly adopted by the others, and soon turned into "Ave Caesar!"

Percy grinned internally. Things were going his way.

 **MMXVII  
**

**AN: Hope you enjoyed!**

 **Cheers, CombatTombat**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

"Wait, what?" Jason asked, thinking he must still be concussed. "You want me to be Consul? I was Praetor for all of four months, Percy. What makes you think I would be a good Consul?"

"Well, for starters, you were a damn good Praetor, even if it was for four months." Percy stated. "Second, I need someone to link us with the Greeks. That's you."

"So, it's political exile, then?" Piper retorted.

"Well, if you want, I can allow the Senate to choose someone else for the role." Percy snapped back. "I'm trying to preserve this alliance we're forming, but I can't do that if I allow someone with deeper ambitions to represent Rome to the Greeks."

Piper became quiet, and Jason looked deep in thought, so it was the daughter of Minerv—Athena—that spoke up.

"What would his job be at Camp Half-Blood?" She asked, and Percy paused, horrified.

"You call it Camp Half-Blood?" He asked incredulously, and Annabeth glared at him.

"Well, what would you call it?" She barked at him.

"For starters, something that couldn't be construed as a racial slur." He retorted, and Piper threw her hands up in the air with a loud 'Thank you!' "But other than that, I can't say. Camp Zeus, maybe? Camp Greece? I don't know."

Annabeth huffed, but didn't reply.

"Regardless of your less than appropriate camp name, Jason's role would be that of an official ambassador." Percy explained. "He would be tasked with ensuring that the cooperation between us Romans and you Greeks flow smoothly."

"So, you would need an embassy?" Annabeth asked, a bit eagerly, in Percy's opinion.

"We would, yes." He said slowly. "It would also have to serve as the official residence of our ambassador."

"I wouldn't stay in the Zeus cabin?" Jason asked, causing Percy to pause once more.

"You divide by cabins? Gods of Olympus, how there hasn't been a civil war amongst you, I'll never know." He exclaimed, noticing how Annabeth and Thalia shifted uncomfortably. "Oh. My apologies."

Neither responded, both clearly deep in memory. He didn't try to draw them out of it, instead simply rising, bowing his head towards the group, and leaving. He was met outside by a detachment of guards, officially seconded to him by the legion. They were unarmed, in the sense that they had no blades on them, but each one carried an oak rod, perfect for smacking aside anyone who got to close for their liking. Not that he needed the protection, but it made his supporters happy, and that was all he wanted.

As per his new norm, he went home, and made his way to his office, which was located towards the front of his _domus_ , but towards the centre, meaning no one could strike at him through an exterior window. He did paperwork for the better part of an hour before an aide poked his head in.

"Imperator, Senators Vanessa and Daniel are at the door, requesting an audience with you." The aide said, his eyes downcast.

"Bring them in." He ordered. "Don't let them wander. Straight here, straight out."

The aide nodded, and his head vanished. A minute later, the door opened once more, and the two senators, each wearing a red-sashed toga, the symbol of the senate, entered. While Vanessa was a supporter of Percy, Daniel was one of the more prominent voices of opposition. This would be an interesting meeting.

He indicated for them to sit, and they did, though Daniel clearly looked annoyed at having to be instructed to do so.

"Senators." He greeted simply. "How may I help you?"

Daniel exchanged a glance with Vanessa, before speaking.

"I'm not your biggest fan, Imperator, as you know." Daniel said, but Percy kept his face blank. "That being said, you rose to your position through merit and popular support. Unlike other members in my party, I do not believe you ever intended to be in your current position."

"That's a rather unique opinion, from what I understand." Percy said, and Daniel nodded. "I'm assuming something is being planned that you don't agree with?"

Daniel's eyes widened for a moment, before he narrowed them at Percy. "Do you know something?"

"No, nothing at all, in fact." Percy responded simply. "But I spent seven years with Lupa, Senator Daniel. Very little of that time involved fighting. I was trained to be the best at anything I needed to be. Politics was one of those things."

"They plan to assassinate you." Vanessa interjected. "Daniel, just tell him."

Daniel sighed then.

"Liberators, they call themselves. I'm sure you see the irony there." He said. "Glass daggers will be snuck into the senate house. They plan to confront you about the Greeks, and then stab you."

Percy arched an eyebrow, a habit he had picked up from Reyna. "I'm certain they wouldn't have just told you this unless they believed you were with them."

"Oh, the conspirators believe that I'm one of them." Daniel replied, his face reddening slightly. "I haven't exactly made my dislike of your position unknown."

"That's fair enough, senator. I don't blame you." Percy assured him. "Glass daggers. How interesting. Those wouldn't by any chance have come from the glassworks, would they?"

"Very perceptive, sir." Daniel applauded. "Yes, Michael Miles is the ringleader. To him, you deserved death for killing Octavian. He hates you immensely."

"It just means I'm doing my job correctly." Percy said. "Though to be honest, I wasn't expecting the first assassination attempt until _after_ the war with Terra."

"You—you were expecting this?" Vanessa asked, aghast.

"Oh, certainly." He nodded. "I'm the Imperator, senators. People will be trying to kill me more often than you believe. Very few of them will actually carry those plans through, however. Now, moving onto important business, I'm going to need the names of the conspirators, Senator Daniel."

Daniel sighed, but nodded. "I figured as much. I have a list here, Imperator. I only ask that the punishment be swift, sir."

"I'd never do anything less." Percy declared.

 **MMXVII**

 **AN: Oooh, politics at play. Sorry for the long wait. I've also decided that I'm going to keep to around 1000 words per chapter. I'm sorry, but I don't have the time nor the energy to write any more than that at the moment.**

 **Cheers, CombatTombat**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

Annabeth was curious as to why they had been invited to the meeting of the Senate, but she didn't say anything to Jason. He was tense enough as it was. They were seated in a box above the actual floor, but they could see all the proceedings as they were going to happen. Several of the Senators were tense, but Percy seemed completely relaxed, his body language smooth, calm, and secure. She narrowed her eyes. He must have something planned.

"Let us call this emergency session into being." Reyna declared. "Before any petitions or business is to be made, the Imperator wishes to speak."

Like Percy, Reyna was the epitome of calm and collected. Once more, Annabeth got the sneaking suspicion something was going to happen. Percy rose from his seat, and it was just then that Annabeth noticed, and only barely, that he was wearing armour under his toga.

"Good morning, senators." He said, before inclining his head towards the box. "Guests. Normally, I don't speak before a Senate meeting, but today is a special day."

There was a shuffling silence as the senators looked to one another, trying to decipher what their Imperator meant. Jason furrowed his eyes at Percy, leading Annabeth to watch the son of Neptune closely.

"Most of you are confused." Percy said. "It's understandable. In reality, it's only a special day for some of you. The rest of you are innocent of this conspiracy to murder."

A loud gasp was heard, and suddenly, the doors of the Senate Hall flew open, and armed men, wearing armour covered by a white toga and wearing purple capes marched in. Jason's eyes widened comically.

"The laws of Rome do not permit armed men inside the Pomerian Lines!" A senator exclaimed.

"Nor do they permit planning the assassination of the Imperator, Senator Miles." Percy snapped. "Yet you did exactly that. Unlike you, however, I do not push my luck. Both Lupa and Terminus confirmed that I have the authority to decide who may and may not wield weapons inside my city. And after much… deliberation… I have decided that the Praetorians are to be my official bodyguards. And bodyguards need arms."

There was a ruckus as Senators were snatched by the Praetorians, some drawing what looked to be glass daggers. They were beaten to the ground, and dragged out, many unconscious.

"What is this?" Thalia whispered to Jason, who looked horrified.

"This is Roman politics." He replied slowly. "At its finest."

When the Senate was cleared of almost a third of its participants, Percy rose again.

"Some of you don't like me." Percy said, his voice low, but heard clearly. "That's fine. I don't care about that, because I don't like some of you. I let you have your little meetings, and I let you discuss how much of a tyrant I am, because frankly, it doesn't concern me what you think. But the _moment_ you start plotting against me, you are no longer senators, or citizens of Rome. You are traitors, and will earn a traitors death."

The Senate was deathly quiet. Even Leo was still.

"There will be no proscriptions, no mass slaughter, but let me be clear, Senators. You live by my grace. _My_ will. Many of the people believe that now that I rule, we don't need you anymore. If this happens again, I'll be inclined to agree." He warned them. "The conspirators will be hung tomorrow at noon, in the Forum. Your attendance is mandatory. That includes you Greeks as well."

With that, Percy returned to his seat. The dais he normally sat on was flanked by two men on each side, and even Reyna looked slightly uncomfortable with it. Annabeth wondered if that meant that there was trouble in paradise.

"Now." Percy said, his voice deceptively cheerful. "We have business to get down to, don't we?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After the Senate meeting was concluded, Jason ushered Annabeth and the others back to their mansion, escorted by Praetorians the entire way. Once they were safely inside, chaos erupted.

"What the Hades was that?" Thalia snapped at her brother. Annabeth was inclined to side with her temperamental friend on this account.

"Like I said. Roman Politics at its finest." Jason replied, collapsing onto a couch. "Someone must have come to him with definitive proof of the plot. What he just did was use that plot to cement his power. The Praetorians have been pushing him to deputise them, but he hasn't had a reason to. This plot not only broke up a power base of senators opposed to him, but it also allowed him to create a private army. Legionaires will be flocking to join the Praetorians now."

"No, they won't." A deep voice interrupted, and Annabeth spun around to see Frank Zhang, the Primus Pilus, leaning against a pillar. "Only those who have completed their ten years may join. And only those vetted personally by either myself or one of the two consuls."

"Another promotion, Centurion Zhang?" Jason asked with a small smile.

"Transfer, sir." Frank replied. "The Praetorians are in need of a prefect. I have not completed my ten years, but the Imperator makes the decisions."

"Which makes you what?" Annabeth asked. "His right hand man?"

"Left hand, actually." Frank replied. "The right would be Reyna."

Jason arched an eyebrow, but Zhang only shrugged in response. "I've been ordered to inform you that we will be setting off for the quest tomorrow evening. There are some issues that need to be resolved before we can leave. Prefect Levesque will handle anything you need. She should be here soon. Until then."

Zhang departed then, leaving them alone again.

"Did he just invite himself onto our quest?" Leo asked, earning a grunt of agreement from Thalia.

"No, he was ordered onto our quest." Jason responded. "Percy knows prophecies better than any Roman, which really says a lot, and he's one of the smartest demigods I know. If he's putting someone on the quest, it's because he thinks they're needed."

"Also, so he can keep an eye on us." Annabeth pointed out.

"Well, yeah, that goes without saying." Jason didn't seem concerned at all. He grinned at them, and for the first time, she felt uncomfortable around him. It wasn't his usual easy-going grin, but instead a predatory one, much like Percy had worn after revealing the plot to kill him. "This _is_ Rome. Subterfuge is second nature to most of us."

"You turned out all right." Piper pointed out. Jason shrugged.

"I was considered untouchable as the Son of Jupiter." He explained. "I stayed out of political games, and I was excluded from them out of respect. Percy, on the other hand, was involved in them from his first day. He's had years to refine his skill."

"So, we're not just dealing with a legendary warrior, but also a skilled statesman?" Annabeth asked.

"No." Jason shook his head. "You're dealing with a Caesar, which is _much_ worse."

 **MMXVIII**

 **AN: The first chapter of 2018! I hope you enjoyed the politics at play here. Some people wanted proscriptions, but Percy, while heavy handed, isn't cruel, and he isn't stupid. Proscriptions would just drum up opposition from the remaining senators, and he doesn't want, nor need, that. Hope you enjoyed!**

 **Cheers, CombatTombat**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

Reyna was curled up into Percy's side, idly stroking his chest as he ran his hands through her hair. She was still conflicted about the attempted coup, but she was more concerned that with each decision he was forced into making, he became less of himself. She knew Percy understood that fear, because he felt it too. It was why he had shunted orders off to everybody who needed them, before essentially dragging Reyna to his room. They hadn't done anything, and instead just held each other, listening to the sounds of their hearts beating. It was peaceful, perhaps the only chance for it they would get for the next few months, or even years.

Her hand cupped his face, and began tracing his scar, which tickled, so his burrowed his head into her shoulder, eliciting a laugh from her.

"The Greeks want to leave sooner rather than later." She murmured into his ear. "I think you frightened them with the display in the Senate."

"Mhmm." He hummed in reply. "That was the idea. I'm sure Jason figured it out." 

"Why?" Reyna asked. "You want them to be allies, do you not?"

"Oh, I do." Percy affirmed. "But I had some agents do some digging. The son of Vulcan has quite the mouth on him around pretty girls, it seems. While we were fighting Krios, and storming Mount Tam, the Greeks were defending Olympus, and Jason's sister, Thalia, was responsible for killing Saturn. They're a force to be reckoned with."

"Really?" Reyna asked quietly. "That's an impressive feat, even for a child of the Big Three."

"That it is. It explains why she seemed disappointed with me at first." Percy explained. "Which is why I ramped up my displays of power. Children of Jupiter—Zeus—Are incredibly prideful, and they covet power. I needed to show her, them, that I could match them."

"So, it's an ego match?"

"Essentially, yeah."

"You are a child, you know that, right?"

"Wouldn't that make you a paedophile, Reyna?" Percy teased, and she smacked his chest. It wasn't light.

"Hey!" She smacked him again. "All right! I'm sorry! You're not a paedophile!"

"Thank you." She said primly, before rolling on top of him. "I've got to go to the senate. _You_ have to sleep. Don't think I haven't noticed your late nights and early mornings."

Percy groaned underneath her, but she just gave him a kiss on the cheek before getting off him, before heading to the closet which had been designated as hers. She paused briefly, contemplating the fact that they were _seventeen_ , and she had a closet in his house, and would most likely marry him as soon as they were allowed to. She shook her head, clearing her thoughts. She wouldn't do anyone any favours by being deep in her thoughts.

She left his _domus_ , flanked by two Praetorians, personally chosen by Frank to always serve as her escort. They were former members of her cohort, and the loyalty still held. For all that she felt ill about the Praetorians, they took their duty to protect Percy seriously, almost religiously, and for that, she was willing to accept them as a new part of Rome. Furthermore, they had no qualms obeying her orders, as Percy had told each one in no certain terms that Reyna was an extension of his _gravitas_ , and what she said went.

Citizens called out to her as she walked, either wishing her well, asking requests, or shouting slurs. Of the first, she thanked them, the second group she told to petition her during official dates, and she ignored the latter group. While it had become common for her, Percy had been furious the first time it happened, whirling on the poor man who had called out, she had managed to calm him down, and one of her guards managed to 'convince' the citizen to flee before the Imperator's rage was rekindled.

Finally reaching the Senate house, Reyna was instantly confronted by petitioners, who she patiently told to wait to be summoned. They seemed disgruntled, but wisely let it go. As she walked to her throne on the Senate floor, she spotted the Greek daughter of Minerva amongst the throngs of petitioners. Her mind began to race, wondering what purpose she could have to visit her. More than once, Reyna had seen the blonde studying Percy closely, something that stirred up petty feelings of jealousy inside her. They were unfounded, of course, but they were still there.

She leaned over to one of her guards, Trevor Smith.

"Find the daughter of Minerva." She ordered. "Her name is Annabeth Chase. I'll see her first."

Trevor nodded, and strode out towards the cluster of men and women. They parted rapidly at his approaching figure. Trevor was almost six and a half feet, and wore a full set of Imperial Gold armour, complete with a blank facemask on his helm. In short, he looked to be a massive threat, and anyone could see it.

He returned moments later with the Greek, who seemed uncomfortable by the presence of Trevor and her other guard, a daughter of Mars, Cecilia Openheimer. Chase bowed her head towards Reyna.

"I'm sorry, I don't know the correct way to greet you." She apologized. Reyna shrugged.

"It's no matter." She replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. "What may I help you with, Miss Chase?"

"I—we—were wondering at what point we'll be allowed to depart for our quest against Gaea." Chase stated. "It _is_ an important part of this war."

Oh, that wouldn't do. Reyna refused to be talked down to.

"It most certainly is, which is why we are preparing you the best way we can, other than just sending you off with a warship which was damaged." Reyna replied back sharply. Her two guards shifted at the change in her tone, ready to leap to action. "When Percy brought down the- what do you call it? The Argo II? He damaged it's hull, as well as split it's central mast. Our engineers have been repairing it, as well as streamlining the control system, so that anyone can fly it."

"Leo isn't going to be happy you messed with the Argo." Annabeth stated.

"That's his problem." Reyna replied. "He's also not in a position to complain about anything we do to the ship. It is, after all, the same ship which fired on my city, and killed a dozen innocent civilians."

"That wasn't Leo's fault!" She exclaimed, defensive.

"No, it wasn't." Reyna agreed. "But it was his ship. To get back on point, you'll be leaving by the end of the day. I believe the Imperator will speak to you before you leave. Thank you for your time, Miss Chase. Escort her out, if you please, Trevor."

The last portion was directed to her guard, he stepped forward without a word. Chase let herself be led out without argument, and once Trevor was back by her side did she indicate for the rest of the petitioners to be let through. She sighed. It would be a long day, if this meeting was anything to go by.

 **MMXVIII**

 **AN: I hope you enjoyed Reyna's perspective. For the Praetorians, I decided to draw inspiration from Warhammer 40K (Something I find myself doing more and more) so if you want an idea of what they look like, search Lord Commander Dante on google images. Take away the big-ass jetpack, and you've pretty much got them, though at a more human size.**

 **Cheers, CombatTombat**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

"They've done _what_ to my ship?" Leo exclaimed, and Piper groaned.

"They've modified it." Annabeth repeated. "Personally, I think they took it apart and put it back together so that they could try to recreate it, but that's not the point. We'll be leaving today."

"Why did they have to ruin my masterpiece?" Leo cried out, trying to lean on Thalia for support. The daughter of Zeus just let a flare of electricity escape her body instead, shocking Leo so hard he passed out.

"Thalia." Jason groaned in frustration.

"Oops." Was the single reply.

"My, this is interesting." Percy's voice cut in. He was standing in the entry hall, flanked by two golden-clad soldiers, each one with a sword and tower-shield in each hand. "I was under the impression you were all friends."

"Friends annoy friends." Thalia shrugged in response. "Did Jason not ever annoy you?"

"Never so much I knocked him out." Percy replied. "Is he upset about his ship?"

Jason nodded at him.

"Good." Percy seemed pleased. "The plans are quite impressive, I'll admit. I look forward to seeing if we can recreate it."

"So that _was_ why you repaired and modified it." Annabeth exclaimed, satisfied she was correct.

"No, we repaired and modified it because it was insanely complicated, and I for one want you to survive this quest." Percy responded, a little sharply. "But learning how it was made was a fortunate outcome of doing said repairs and refitting."

"And what happens when you make them? What purpose do you have for a fleet of floating triremes?" Annabeth pressed. "There's only so much you can do with those warships."

Percy's face scrunched up, and Piper could easily admit it looked adorable.

"What made you think we were going to build them? We have no need for any warships." He asked, and Piper could tell he was genuinely confused by the insinuation that he would use them for any malicious goals. "The _plans_ are what interested me, not the ship itself. It's a masterpiece of engineering."

"Thank you." Leo said, pride in his eyes.

"The only issue is that the engineer is a moron, but there's not much to do about that." Percy continued on, acting as if Leo, who now looked heartbroken, hadn't spoken. "Your ship is stocked up, with food, materials, and as much Imperial Gold as I am willing to spare. May the Gods be with you."

He turned to walk away, but Jason grabbed his arm.

"Percy…" He started, and the Imperator looked at him patiently. "You know we have to go to Rome, right?"

One of the Praetorians stiffened beside Percy, but the Imperator placed a hand on his arm.

"I didn't know that, and no one else does either, do you understand?" Percy asked, and Jason was still for a moment, before nodding. "You need to go now, then. Good luck, and pray to Victoria."

He turned and was followed by his two guards, who both seemed uneased by what had been said.

"Jason?" Piper asked, and he turned to them.

"It's illegal for Romans to go to the original Rome." He explained. "I shouldn't have said anything. Percy isnt going to tell anyone else, and neither can we. Essentially, we're cut off from New Rome."

"Is it that big of a deal?" Thalia questioned, already sounding bored.

"The punishment is death, so yeah, I'd say it's that big of a deal." Jason replied tersely. "We need to go, sooner rather than later. Let's meet with Frank and Hazel."

Jason led them to the newly repaired _Argo II_ , and Leo let out a cry, though whether it was in sadness or joy, Piper couldn't tell. The Celestial Bronze hull had been repaired, though there were places where plates of Imperial Gold had been welded on, and the ballistae had been replaced with smaller, but clearly superior versions. Coach Hedge, who they hadn't seen in days, was playing with one of them.

"Does anyone else wonder what Hedge is doing when we're not around?" Leo asked. No one responded. Frank and Hazel were talking quietly near the rope ladder, a duffel bag at each of their feet. The Prefect of the Guard wore the full gold armour of his role, but his helmet was missing, presumably in the bag at his feet. He turned when he saw them, and Piper realized that the armour _had_ to be enchanted, because all the Praetorians moved as if they weren't wearing full-body suits of metal.

"You're here." He said to them. "Good, we need to leave as soon as possible. Mars contacted me last night. We need to go through the Pillars of Hercules."

"Well that's quaint." Leo said. Piper rolled her eyes, but smiled fondly at her friend. At the best of times, he was a not just a comical genius, but a mechanical one as well. At the worst of times, which was becoming more often as he became more stressed, he was annoying, unrepentant, and incessant. Most times, luckily, he was in between.

As she climbed up the rope ladder, Piper spared a glance to the city below, bustling with activity, people in markets, soldiers running drills, and children playing in the streets. It was a peaceful sight, and clambering over the railing, Piper knew that one day, she would love to live in this city. It was a perfect example of a future for demigods. Annabeth had told her when she first arrived at Camp Half-Blood that it was rare for demigods to live to adulthood, but here, it was different. There were demigods, the children of demigods, and even further beyond that. Apparently, Frank was a descendent of Neptune, many, many times removed.

"What about Percy?" Annabeth asked. "Is he a legacy of anyone else?"

"No, not that we know of." Jason replied. "But even if he was, there's no way we could know. He's inherited more of his father than any other demigod we've ever met. Even Lupa remarked on his resemblance to Neptune." Jason paused. "Then again, I think that happened after someone told Percy he was ugly, so it might've been to just make him feel better."

"Someone called _him_ ugly?" Annabeth sounded surprised. "That man is a _hunk_."

Jason groaned. "No, no, I'm not listening. This is my cousin we're talking about."

"Jason, I love you, and I adore you, but your cousin is _hot_." Piper told him with a smirk, watching the blood drain out of his face rapidly.

"I mean, damn, I got a sight of his abs…" Thalia had picked up in it, and drifted off with a dreamy sigh, something Piper had learned she _never_ did.

"For the love of the gods, please!" Jason cried out.

 **MMXVIII**

 **AN: A tad more lighter than I normally write. So, just in case people are curious, this story will cover the Heroes of Olympus storyline. I'm not going to include other deities in this story other than the Greco-Roman ones. I have the plotiest of twists planned, which will lead into a sequel (Or three). I hope you enjoy!**

 **Cheers, CombatTombat**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

The _Argo II_ had departed weeks ago, and Percy found himself missing the sight of the large ship. In a way, it had given him a sense of security. That said, he was also glad that the questers were gone, because it meant that they could start construction on their own version of it. Oh yes, he had played the innocent and confused boy when the daughter of Athena called him out on wanting the plans for the warship, but he was _Roman_ , lying went hand in hand with politics, and he had mastered that act years ago.

His engineers had told him that it would take the rest of the year to build and fit the ship with everything it needed, which he had no issues with. A flying warship was it's own reward, especially for a force like he wielded.

"Percy? Percy!" A familiar voice suddenly called out, and he toppled back in his chair in surprise. He rose and turned to see Frank, covered in dirt, and littered with small cuts, looking franticly at him.

"Frank? What—how are you doing this?" He asked. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, it's a Greek thing, but we've got a problem." Frank said, and Percy stiffened. "Jason and Piper fell into Tartarus. We tried to help them, but—Percy?"

He wasn't sure what came over him. He felt the violent tug he normally felt when he used his powers jerk around his body, and the building around him began to shake. He heard several shrieks from the people outside, and the powerful voices of his guards ordering them out the building. The anger inside him needed to be expelled, but Percy knew he had to control it, so he directed it inwards, toward himself.

He should've been there for Jason. His cousin had lived a hard-enough life, and now _this?_ Percy had failed him, something he had sworn never to do. The walls of his office were vibrating so hard and rapidly that parts of them just dissolved, turning into dust. With a final yell, the last of his energy fired out, shattering his home, sending it imploding downwards. Somehow, none of it fell on him, and Percy instead found himself standing in the rubble of his _domus_. His hands were still twitching, but as the dust cleared, he found a massive crowd around him, at the lead Reyna, whose face was ashen, at least until she saw him. Percy was certain he had never seen her looked so relieved before.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Something had shaken Percy so hard that he had destroyed his home. That was all Reyna knew. That was what she told the Senate, the Legion, or anyone else that asked her. Someone had put forward the motion to rebuild the Imperator's home, but she had vetoed it, stating she wouldn't act until she knew what had caused his rage.

On top of that, Percy had stormed off somewhere, his personal guards following him loyally, as they always did. It was that core group of twenty Praetorians, former legionaries that Percy trusted implicitly that gave her headaches, because they were the only group she _didn't_ have authority over. Which led to her immense surprise when one of them showed up outside her office.

"Tribune Kahale is here to see you, consul." Her aide called out, and she looked up rapidly. The tribune just shouldered his way into the room, against the protests of her guards. She sighed. It was well within his rights to do so.

"Tribune, how may I assist you?" She asked cordially. She liked Kahale. He was a good soldier, and immensely loyal to Percy, something she thought could never be in short supply.

"The Imperator's sitting at the bottom of the lake." He said simply, his voice muffled by his blank mask. "I figured he wouldn't let _you_ drown at least, so I was going to ask for you to go retrieve him, ma'am."

That… was a fairly straightforward answer. She nodded, and rose. "Give me a moment, Tribune."

It wasn't a request, not truly. He could do whatever he wanted to anyone else, but no one bar Percy could give her orders. He stood silently as she ducked into another room, replacing her dress and toga for shorts and a tank top. She then pulled a pair of track pants on, and shrugged a sweater over her shoulders, before re-joining Kahale. "Let's go, then."

When they arrived at the lake, Reyna had to admit she was impressed. Percy's guards knew there were too few of them to properly cordon off the lake, so they had brought in reinforcements. The first barrier was manned by Custodes, who looked incredibly proud to be helping protect the Imperator. The second line was manned by Praetorians, who let them through without a word. She walked down a pier, before looking over at Kahale, who seemed to understand what she had yet to vocalize. He barked out orders in Latin, and a semi-circle formed behind her, shielding her from prying eyes. She took the track pants and sweater off, before diving into the water, letting herself sink to the bottom. She kept her eyes screwed shut until she felt all the wetness vanish from her body.

"We're in an air bubble." Percy's voice called out, and she frowned at the monotonous sound. She opened her eyes, and found him sitting on his calves in front of her.

"What happened?" She asked gently, and he sighed, rising.

"Not here." He said. "C'mon, I was going to keep this secret for a bit longer, but I don't think that'll work anymore."

He grabbed her hand, and led her along the bottom of the lake, and she soon realized they were heading towards the centre of it. Reyna's eyes widened immensely as she found herself staring at a rather large building on the lake bed. It was made of marble, and had inlays of ivory and basalt. Percy walked her through a large arch-way, and down some stairs, which then went back _up_ a set of stairs. This time, however, it wasn't Percy keeping them dry. They were in a large, spacious room, which had flowing air, furniture. A full home, really.

"Percy, what—how did you manage this?" She asked, awestruck.

"Well, remember how I ran into Salacia and Triton when we went to Alaska?" She nodded. "Apparantly, my dad was pleased with how that went, so he sent a horde of Cyclopes to come build me an underwater palace in the lake. Did you know the Little Tiber goes to the ocean? Because I did not."

"Off topic, hun." She told him gently.

"Right, sorry, anyways, so I was doing one of my swims like, a month or two ago, when I came across the cyclopes working on this place. I found out what they were doing, and since I always like having a quiet place to escape, I figured, why not?" Percy rambled, causing Reyna to let a small smile slip. She schooled her face when she remembered why they came, however.

"Percy, what happened?" She asked again, and his eyes screwed shut.

"Jason's in Tartarus." It was barely a whisper, but she heard, and suddenly, it all made sense. Despite the rivalry that everyone thought they had, Percy and Jason had been as close as brothers, and his kidnapping had almost broken him. She lunged forward and wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly. She didn't say anything. She didn't need to.

 **MMXVIII**

 **AN: Hope you enjoyed!**

 **Cheers, CombatTombat**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

Michael Kahale owed everything to the Imperator. He had taken a Son of Venus who others ridiculed, and trained him into a soldier, and officer that understood what it was to lead, and what it was to follow. So, when the Praetorian Guard was formalised, he had sought out Percy directly, and argued his case for being able to join, even though he hadn't completed his ten years. The Imperator and Prefect Zhang had looked at each other once, and the rest was history.

Michael didn't expect to become so essential to the protection of the Imperator, but somehow, he had. With the Prefect tasked with preparing for the Quest of the Seven, Michael began taking on more and more of his responsibilities, which led to his promotion to Tribune. But he never forgot his directive. Protect the Imperator. He had told Percy upfront that his duty to protect him came first and foremost, and as a result, Michael often found himself doing paperwork at the same time as the Imperator. Percy would ask him for his opinion, and sometimes, he even took it.

That changed with the destruction of his home. Percy now spent more and more time in the lake, and Consul Reyna was the only one able to get him out. Michael's duties were relegated to standing at the edge of the lake with nineteen other guards, nicknamed the _Batavi_ , after Augustus' old bodyguard. They were the elite of the elite, and the only ones who were privy to everything the Imperator was. And they were standing around a lake.

The Imperator's head emerged from the water, followed by the rest of him, and he ambled right up to Michael, a blank expression on his face.

"Have the Guard assemble on the Campus Martius, Michael." Percy ordered. "Have someone else call the Senate into an emergency session."

Michael didn't even have to do anything, as the two designated runners detached, having a silent conversation as to who would go where. He followed Percy through the streets of New Rome, knowing better than to question the Imperator. Percy would tell him when he decided Michael needed to know. As normal, the people quickly moved out of Percy's way, but this time, there was something quiet, muted, about it. Instead of the calls of support, and admiration, there were solemn bows of heads, or heads held up tall. Percy absorbed it in kind, and armoured like his Praetorians were, sans helmet, he gave off the impression of a warrior king, going off to… War.

That was it, Michael realized. Percy wanted his people to see him as a warrior, because he was planning on fighting. But to use the Guard, over the legion? It meant it was personal, not professional. He didn't want for the lives of the soldiers sworn to Rome at risk. Only the ones sworn to _him_. Michael had to admit, it was audacious, and a very Percy move.

The Imperator wasn't the first one in the Senate, that was of course, the Consul. Percy bade him to stand back while they talked, and while Michael didn't know what the topic was, Reyna clearly wasn't pleased by it. She slapped Percy, and one of the _Batavi_ beside him went to take a step forward, halting when Michael blocked him with an arm. The next few hits were on Percy's chest, and considering the armour, they were incredibly ineffective. Percy just wrapped his arms around her, and though his face was tight, Michael could read the emotions in his eyes. He wasn't enjoying it any more than Reyna was.

The consul and Imperator shared another series of hushed words, before both schooled their features, returning to the façade they normally wore in the Senate. Several minutes later, the first Senator arrived, Vanessa Hale, daughter of Venus. She was a steadfast supporter of the Imperator, and considered the head of the Populares Party, the faction of the Senate that represented Percy's interests. Michael admired her, not only for taking the ridicule she met as a child of Venus with pride, but turning it against her foes. Within her first year as a senator, just under five years ago, she had caused the resignation of three former praetors, all of whom abused their powers as senators.

The rest of the Senate filed in, and took their seats. For the first time, the entirety of the Batavi were present, something that clearly put some of Percy's opposition on edge. Michael grinned inside his helmet. He liked making people nervous.

"Let this emergency session of the Senate be called into order." Reyna intoned. "The Imperator wishes to speak."

With that, she sat back in her chair, while Percy rose from his own. His armour clanked as he moved, reminding the senators of the unusual breach of tradition.

"Several hours ago, I received word from Lord Mars, the Patron of Rome. In the east, our Greek cousins are preparing for war. The Quest of the Seven have successfully retrieved the Athena Parthenos, which has cured the split between our gods." Percy announced, drawing hushed murmurs from the crowd. "But the Greeks do not number enough to successfully fight off the hordes of monsters and giants that approach their camp. Normally, I would be sending the legion, but another horde of monsters, led by the returned Krios, is heading towards New Rome. The legion will be remaining here, to defend the city. I will be leading the Praetorians east, to New York, to aide our cousins against Terra."

Instantly, the room erupted into protests. It didn't last long. Percy gestured towards Michael, and the guard began slamming the butts of their _pila_ onto the marble floor, silencing them after a few moments.

"This is not a debate. This was an order from Olympus, sent through Mars Ultor. Consul Reyna has command of the city while I am gone. Praetors Dakota and Nathan will assist her with the defence of the city." Percy growled. "As soon as I am able, I will return, but now, I must fulfil my duty to the gods, as you all must fulfil your duties to me. Effective immediately, all Evocati cohorts are called into service, until the threat from Krios has passed. Are there any questions?"

Wisely, Michael thought, there were none. The senate seemed to understand that Percy was clearly as unhappy about this as they were, but no Roman would ever shirk their duty. They would obey.

 **MMXVIII**

 **AN: To war! So, about Michael Kahale. In the books, he's from the First Cohort, and was a centurion. In this, he was originally from the Fourth, but when a slot opened up, he was transferred to the First, and became the Junior Centurion under Octavian, becoming Senior Centurion upon that twit's death. Transfers between Cohorts were common in the old legions, and I can't imagine it possibly changing. Now, he's one of the two Tribune in the Praetorian Guard, but he protects Percy directly, while the other Tribune manages the rest of the guard. Both Tribunes report to Frank, who is the Praetorian Prefect. Also, to whoever keeps commenting about all the demigods being related, technically, yes, they are, but Gods don't have DNA, so only a select few, like the children of the Big Three, consider themselves related. Otherwise, none of these ships would work. For example, if we went by those familial ties, Charles Beckendorf and Silena were step-siblings, as their parents are married. I get your point, but Jesus, dude, take it down a notch.**

 **Cheers, CombatTombat**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

The impact of Zeus spiking the _Argo_ almost shattered Jason's teeth. Once he had regained his bearings, it took a few blinks to realize that they were _right_ over Camp Half-Blood, the ship breaking up from the pressure of the rapid trip. Annabeth tumbled over the side of the railing, only for Thalia to dive after her. Frank turned into a large eagle, picking up Hazel, while Jason grabbed Piper, leaping off the side of the ship. He had no idea where Leo was, but he knew that he would be fine. His friend was tenacious like that.

As they landed, Jason let a burst of electricity fly out of his body, disintegrating a group of monsters. Once the static on his body was gone, Piper gave him a kiss on the cheek, before rushing off to find her cabin. Jason drew his gladius and rushed towards a group of Ares kids. They were being led by Sherman Yang, who was already covered in a sheen of monster dust. The son of Ares nodded at him, before lashing out with his spear, impaling an earthborn.

Jason, deciding they didn't need his help, he instead made his way towards Annabeth and Thalia, who were fighting hard against a group of Hellhounds. Jason cocked his arm back, a spark of electricity travelling into his sword, before he launched it forward, impaling a Hellhound in its ribcage, making it shudder before dying. Jason didn't have time to think, and a chain of lightning came out of his hand, something he didn't know he _could_ do. It took out a couple of the Hellhounds, and drove the others away. Thalia looked at him appreciatively.

"When'd you learn to do _that_?" She asked.

"Right now." He replied, ducking under the swipe of a studded club, eviscerating the cyclops that tried to deliver the blow. The one-eyed monsters bellowed in pain before dissolving, and Jason turned his attention to the rest of the monster army.

It was comprised of different species of monsters, augmented by Gaea's power, and reinforced by creatures made of earth and grass. While not as powerful as the older breeds of monsters, they were more numerous, and Jason knew that the longer this fight went on, the more of the creatures Gaea would raise. It would take time, and lots of effort, but the camp would be overrun. Jason hoped that _some_ form of help was coming from Rome, but he had been visited in a dream by Lupa, who revealed that Gaea had bought Krios back, and he was leading another army of monsters towards New Rome. Percy would have his hands tied with that.

He was right. Slowly, but surely, the Greeks were being pushed back, closer and closer to the amphitheatre, which had been turned into a hospital. Instead of the singular, seemingly random fighting the campers had been utilising, they were now formed up in several phalanxes, protecting all the entrances to the amphitheatre as archer from the Hunters and the Apollo cabin rained down arrows on the approaching hordes. Things were not looking good. Jason sent a quick prayer to his father, and Mars, hoping for some form of relief.

The relief came two-fold. The first sign of hope was Leo reappearing from nowhere on the back of a rebuilt Festus, scorching a chunk of the attacking horde, but not doing much to the incoming numbers. It was the second sign of hope that _really_ made Jason feel better about the situation. A brass instrument sounded from the top of Half-Blood hill, the Roman _buccina_. Jason looked over and was floored by the sight.

Rows of mounted Praetorians were charging down the hill, lances tucked under their arms, oval shields in their spare hands. The blank masks were emitting war cries to Mars, to Victoria, to Caesar. Jason spotted Percy riding his Pegasus, Blackjack, in the air, dive-bombing a force of monsters, before suddenly pulling up. Jason didn't understand the action until the shock-wave from the movement hit a cluster of monsters, flattening them.

The Praetorian cavalry slammed into the rear of the monster lines, cutting down large swathes of them, before some of the Earthborn monsters were sent to deal with them. Giant eagles targeted Percy, but the Son of Neptune was too powerful for them, and bolts of lightning dropped onto the birds with precise accuracy. He landed in front of the Greek phalanxes, his Pegasus cantering, before he dismounted. He patted the winged horse, which neighed loudly, before taking off, clobbering the heads of several taller monsters as it flew away.

The monsters shuffled nervously at the sight of the Imperator. Jason honestly couldn't blame them. His armour was a more ornate version of the Praetorians, with the pauldrons being stylised eagles, his mask not the stony, blank expression of the others, but a screaming death-mask, the eyes blackened, but what looked to be blood dripping out of the mouth. He briefly wondered if it was Percy's.

"Well!" Percy boomed, and the sound of fighting died down. "You wanted me here, Terra. Here I am! Who will be first? One of your perverse monsters? An elder son? Yourself?"

Unlike the Praetorians, whose voices held a metallic twang, Percy's was crystal clear, and Jason noticed that several of the Greeks shuffled nervously at the power Percy was displaying. Several of the earthborn monsters gather together, before they began merging into one larger body, almost the size of a Greyhound bus. Jason could practically _feel_ Percy's grin.

"Very well." He said, almost sounding bored. The monster began to run towards him, picking up speed. When it was twenty paces from Percy, and by default, the Greeks, he thrust his hands out, and a massive stream of water impacted the monster in the chest, so hard, so fast, that it literally went _through_ the creature. It stumbled a few more steps, before crumbling to dust. The water kept travelling, however, creating a large gap in the horde. The Praetorians took advantage of it in a flash, and soon, there was an additional layer of horsemen between the hospital and the monsters. Percy turned towards the Greeks, his helmet popping off as he did so, tucked under his arm.

"Well?" He asked, a lopsided grin on his face. "Are we going to stand here, or are we going to fight?"

Jason grinned back, and from behind him, the Greeks all let out a warcry, before charging forwards, ready to renew the fight.

 **MMXVIII**

 **AN: I wanted to kind of bring a Ride of the Rohirrim feel. Alternatively, picture the scene from the Battle of the Bastards when the Knights of the Vale arrive. It's kind of like that. As for the Praetorians themselves, I don't see it being unrealistic for Percy, Reyna, or any smart strategist to realise the immense use a cavalry force has. For now, the Praetorians are the only mounted force New Rome has.**

 **Cheers, CombatTombat**


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three

Fireballs crashed into the New Rome, destroying several of the unoccupied structures. Those who weren't participating in the defence of the city—those under thirteen, too old to fight, or otherwise unable—had been evacuated to a safe-haven protected by Lupa and her wolves, along with a detachment of _Custodes_. The rest that remained were under Reyna's command. The legion, the Evocati, a singular unit of Praetorians that Percy had left behind to protect her. She was still furious with her boyfriend for pulling this stunt out of his _podex_ , but at the same time, she understood he was just as unhappy leaving his home to be attacked. Three hundred Praetorians had ridden with him, the horses not quite mortal, but not quite immortal either. They were magical creatures, that was without doubt, but they weren't Pegasi. She hoped that he would be able to defeat Terra, and come back to her.

The legion was arrayed out in the Field of Mars. Normally, that would mean five cohorts of one hundred soldiers, but with the Evocati back in the field, they had managed to double the number of soldiers. One thousand legionaries prepared to fight Krios and his army. This was their home, and they would fight to the last to protect it. From her vantage point, Reyna could see Larry, the Aquilifer, raising the Eagle high for all to see. Dakota and Nathan were at either side of the legion, and Reyna had runners ready to carry orders to them. The Fourth and Fifth anchored the right side, while the Second and Third anchored the left. The First was in the middle, and they were the only cohort that wouldn't be moving. They sat right on the _Via Principia_ , and would hold it to the last.

Like Reyna, the Praetorians were mounted, though only nine of them were skilled enough to ride the Pegasi. The rest of them, forty-one incredibly skilled warriors, rode the magic-but-not-really-magic horses. They would be able to reinforce any spot that needed it, while Reyna and her Pegasi Corps viewed the situation from above. A horn sounded, and Reyna turned her gaze to the Caldecott Tunnel entrance. Dozens of monsters were marching out in formation. Large and small, thin and wide, this was an army similar to the one they had faced almost two years prior, on Mount Tam. But they had had Percy and Jason back then, and Reyna wasn't arrogant enough to admit that the duo hadn't turned the tide in their favour.

She shook her head. They didn't need Percy _or_ Jason, because they were the Twelfth Legion. The _Fulminata_ , the Thunderbolt Legion. They were armed with lightning. They would prevail. The _buccina_ sounded, and the legion shifted, shields overlapping as they settled down, ready to fight. The artillery barrage ceased shortly after. Hannibal was anxious, and Reyna could hear the _thuds_ as the elephant shifted on his feet. His Kevlar vest had additional plates of Imperial Gold, and Lucius, his new rider, had a basket of javelins on the platform he rode on. The _Equites Praetoria_ sat silently, awaiting her command.

She opened her mouth, and gave the command.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Reyna heard the crash of the cavalry into the monster horde, even from the air. Her Pegasi Corps zipped in the air around her, intercepting monsters before they could get to her. Two were dead already, having fallen from their saddles, but the others were going strong. A massive push towards the First Cohort had almost broken through, but the cohort suddenly wheeled, opening a gap, and the _Equites Praetoria_ collided into the incoming horde, swords and lances massacring the surprised monsters. The First used the opportunity to regroup, before moving in to support the horsemen, attacking the monsters while they were focused on the cavalry, not the infantry. '

"Consul! It's getting too dangerous up here!" One of her guards bellowed over to her. She wanted to argue, but Scipio neighed in agreement, so she relented. She ordered the withdrawal, and the riders dove down, before landing behind the lines, near the field hospital. Reyna dismounted Scipio, only to remount her horse, Gnaeus, as the others did the same. She rode towards the right flank, where Nathan was commanding from. The former Aquilifer had been a surprising choice for Praetor, but the legion had spoken. The son of Mars was built like Percy, and from a distance, the two could be mistaken. He was covered in small cuts along his face and arms, but otherwise seemed fine.

"Situation report." She barked.

"The right is holding, ma'am." Nathan told her. "They've been heavier on Dakota's side, so I detached the last line of each cohort and sent them over to support. We've mostly been dealing with Telekhines and cyclopes, nothing we can't handle."

"Good job, Nathan." Reyna told him. "Don't send anymore men to the left. That's what they want. Let me and the Praetorians handle it, alright?"

He nodded at her, and she turned, and cantered to the right flank, where Dakota, like Nathan, was covered in small cuts. The son of Bacchus had been a shock. No one had expected him to run for Praetor, but he showed his skill and ability to lead during the war against the Titans, and during the First Battle for New Rome. His election hadn't come as a surprise to Percy, who had simply nodded and smiled when he heard the news.

"I'm sure you've heard about the pressure I'm facing." Dakota said before she could speak, taking a sip of Kool-Aid from a Camelbak. "We've been dealing with the larger monsters. Northern Giants, Southern Cyclopes, the works. They weren't expecting the resistance they've been getting but most of this was just a warm-up to them. With what I have now, I can probably hold them, but if they get reinforcements…"

"I understand." She told him. "I'll see what I can do."

"That's all I can ask, ma'am." Dakota replied, before suddenly leaning to the right as an arrow whizzed past his head. "Archers, lovely."

Dakota returned to his men, ordering them into a _testudo._ Reyna rode back to the top of the _Via Principia_ , where she had a view of the entire battlefield. They would hold, but the question was whether or not they would win. She sucked in a breath. They had to. _She_ had to. Percy was counting on her.

 **MMXVIII**

 **AN: The Second Battle for New Rome begins! Unlike the first one, it isn't going to be over in a day. This fight starts two days before the battle at Camp Half-Blood, but will last longer than it. I won't be covering the result of this battle until the next story. Now, this is the penultimate chapter of The Son of Neptune. There will be an epilogue, but I don't count it, since it takes place after this story finishes. The only thing I'll tell y'all about the next story is that it's title is 'The Children of the Gods.' Hope you enjoyed.**

 **Cheers, CombatTombat**


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

Gaea withdrew shortly after Percy's challenge. The monsters that were to slow to escape the Praetorians were run down, most taking lances or swords to the backs, others simply being trampled over by the mass of horses. The problem Annabeth had was that she didn't know _why_ Mother Earth did that. It didn't make sense. Even with Percy and his extra three hundred fighters, the camp was completely outmatched by the Primordial of the Earth. The answer came an hour later, while she was explaining the tactical situation to Percy in the Big House.

A bright flash, followed by surprised cries of hope gave Annabeth a fairly good indicator of who had arrived, but she didn't put her faith in it until they exited, and lo and behold, the Olympians were present, fresh from their battle in Athens, in full battle gear. Only, Annabeth was fairly certain these were the _Roman_ Olympians, as opposed to the Greek ones, judging from the armour they wore, and the sterner expressions on their faces. Even Apollo, the easiest-going of the Gods, looked more a warrior than a joker.

Beside her, Percy made a noise of what might've been surprise. Or it was amusement. She hadn't decided yet. Cautiously, Poseidon—Neptune—took a step forward, planting his trident in the earth as he marched towards his son. For some reason beyond her, Percy's two guards stepped forward, but he waved them down. Neptune stopped several paces in front of his son, and both of them looked unsure as to how they should talk.

"Son." Posei—Neptune settled on.

"Lord Neptune." Percy replied evenly, and Annabeth suddenly realised that he had never met his father. He had met his step-mother and half-brother, had been raised by an immortal wolf goddess, but had never once met his actual father. Neptune flinched at the response. Zeus, or Jupiter, or whoever, cleared his throat loudly.

"Yes, well, now that that's done, let's get on with it, shall we?" He stated, haughty as usual, which told Annabeth she was dealing with Zeus. "I have a war to win us, after all."

" _Is that so, Little Zeus?_ " An ancient, terrifying voice crept out of the ground itself. The gods and their offspring instantly readied their weapons, with the exception of Percy and Neptune, whose eyes had been drawn to the water.

"Michael! You have command!" He suddenly bellowed, before taking off to the water, Neptune close behind.

"Nep—Where are you going?" Zeus demanded, only to be ignored. Both men dived into the water, which settled.

"What was—" Leo started asking, only for a massive geyser of water to erupt, followed by three more. Suddenly, a large body flew out of the ocean, crashing into the hill. Frank and Hazel recognized him at once.

"Polybotes." The duo said at the same time. Percy strode out of the water, a large dent in his chest plate, and a furious expression on his face. Neptune materialised from a sea breeze next to him. His Trident lowered and ready. The Giant rose to his feet, before issuing a loud laugh.

"Did you truly think we would be defeated for so long?" He asked, as the other Giants, who they had _just_ defeated in Greece, rematerialized from the earth. "Our mother is Gaea herself, we can't be defeated! Not while she liv—"

He was cut off by two separate streams of water slamming into him, one from Neptune, one from Percy. The father-son duo attacked their foe at once, not giving him the chance to recover. The others looked to Zeus, who shrugged, and annoyed look on his face. "Attack!"

The camp and Praetorians surged forward, influential children of the Gods helping their parent against their Giant counterparts. Monsters began rushing out of crevices, forming from the earth, appearing from the skies, and that left the rest of the demigods occupied. Annabeth and her mother battled Enceladus for the second time in one day, the two moving more in sync than Annabeth ever expected.

The giant sucked in a deep breath, before expelling a violent breath of purple fire. Annabeth launched herself to the side in order to avoid it, while her mother just curled up inside _Aegis_ , the shield taking the blow for her. It was the brief moment when Enceladus was recovering from the effort of breathing fire that Annabeth used to clamber up him, dropping down on his collarbone, and slicing him open with her knife. Her mother's spear was thrown at such force that she didn't even see it go through, but she most certainly felt it. The gust of wind knocked her off the Giant, who bellowed out in pain before dissolving into the earth.

All around them, similar scenes were occurring, with the Gods and their children defeating the Gigantes. Annabeth didn't fail to notice both Neptune and Poseidon in the mix of the fighting, Polybotes being annihilated by them before many of the others had actually managed to land a strike on their opponents. The Praetorian's were the epitome of death, spinning around each other, landing blows, moving back into cover. They worked in pairs of three, in circular movements, which allowed them to fight multiple enemies at once. It wasn't the normal Roman way of fighting, but Annabeth would be crazy to suggest that it wasn't working.

She caught sight of Leo yelling at Jason and Piper, both of whom looked incredibly distressed by whatever it was he was saying. The son of Hephaestus mounted Festus, and suddenly took up to the sky. Annabeth realized what he was doing, the second line of the prophecy running through her head.

 _To storm of fire, the world must fall_.

A large wave crashed over a cluster of monsters, wiping them away, as the gods slowly withdrew from the fight, unable to intervene like they had before. The few monsters stupid enough to attack them were quickly eliminated, and the rest quickly realized it was easier on them not to intervene. As stupid as many monsters were, their survival instinct was incredible.

Annabeth watched in slight awe as Percy weaved through rows of monsters, spinning and ducking, his sword arcing out and back, monsters dying in droves. It was the battle in the sky, however, that drew the attention of all present. Festus was flying through tendrils of earth, breathing fire rapidly as he did so, with Leo launching fireballs of his own towards Gaea. Then, the dragon dove right at her head, and while she could barely see, she did notice that Leo's fire was burning hotter than she had ever scene. He had a chance of winning, she realised.

She let out a scream, with many others, when Festus, and Leo, exploded, the fireball dominating the sky. As Gaea began to fade into nothingness, she let out an evil chuckle.

" _I may be defeated, but I will not be going alone!_ " She proclaimed, an enormous pulse of energy escaping her. She heard gasps of surprise, and turned to see her mother being dragged upwards, towards the centre of Gaea's fading form. Athena wasn't the only one, even Zeus and Poseidon being pulled in. After a moment of struggling, the gods were yanked upwards as one, sucked into Gaea's body, which then imploded, vanishing into nothing at all.

There was only silence. Annabeth turned to Thalia, who looked just as confused as she felt. The others were looking around, but it wasn't until Percy marched up to one of his soldiers and had an exchange of words that ended in the longest string of swear words, in both English, and Latin, she had ever heard. Annabeth felt a tap on her shoulder, and looked over to find Lou Ellen with an immense look of fear on her face.

"What?" Annabeth asked. "What's wrong?"

It was Hazel, however, who replied, looking to the sky with wide eyes.

"The… the mist is gone. I can't feel it anywhere." She said.

"You're not the only one." Percy said. "Three children of Trivia in the guard have reported the same thing. The mist has been evaporated, so to speak."

"The gods will fix it, though, right?" A younger camper asked. Percy shook his head sadly.

"I'm afraid not." He replied. "The Gods are gone."

 **MMXVIII**

 **AN: BUM BUM BUUUUUUMMMM. This is the final chapter, though there is an epilogue coming up. Honestly, it could just be called Chapter Twenty-Five, but it is an actual epilogue, and helps lead into the next story. Hope you enjoyed, and as always, please review!**

 **Cheers, CombatTombat**


	25. Epilogue

Epilogue

 _Camp Half-Blood, August 5_ _th_ _, 2010_

"We're certain they're gone?" Jason asked. The Stoll brothers nodded at him.

"We went to the Empire State Building." Travis told him. "Which was hard enough as it was, because there were cops everywhere trying to fight of the monsters, who have decided that with the Mist gone, mortals are open season. There's thousands of them in the city alone, if we ignore the rest of the state."

"Not that the mortals are doing much." Connor continued. "They don't have anything capable harming monsters, so what's really happening is a slaughter."

"Why haven't monsters been harming mortals before, then?" Katie Gardiner asked. "The Mist just disguised them, it didn't change what they were."

"Not entirely correct." Lou Ellen said. "The Mist disguised monsters from mortals, yes, but it had a built-in defence mechanism of preventing said monsters from preying on just anyone. Whoever wove it in the first place wanted mortals protected from the godly world."

"Whoever?" Jason asked. "You mean Hecate didn't create the Mist?"

Lou Ellen shook her head. "My mother became the appointed guardian of it by the command of the Fates, but no, she didn't create it. No one knows who did, and since it looks like _every_ immortal being with godly blood has vanished, I'm willing to bet that they're gone too."

" _Vlacas_." Thalia cursed. "All right, what _can_ we do?"

"We need to help the mortals, that much is obvious." Annabeth said. "The problem is that we don't have the numbers. With Percy and the Praetorians gone, as well as Frank and Hazel, we've lost a big portion of our heavy hitters. We could, of course, put the younger kids in the fight, but that's unacceptable."

"Which means we're back where we started." Jason sighed. "Waiting for Percy and the Legion."

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 _New Rome, August 18_ _th_ _, 2010_

New Rome was in ruins, but it stood. When Percy and the Praetorians returned, the legion had been mopping up the last of Krios' army, the Titan himself chained down by Imperial Gold, frothing at the mouth. While the Praetorians heard the tale from the Legion, Percy heard it from Reyna herself, after a rather… intimate… reunion.

She had known she couldn't hold the city from the outside, and so, the legion had retreated _into_ New Rome, fighting a brutal urban battle against the monsters, fighting hard for each street lost. Reyna, with the help of Nathan and Dakota, had turned it into a violent ambush, which routed Krios and his men from the forum. It was during that fighting that the Titan was subdued, at the expense of the deaths of the Praetorians Percy had left behind.

With the Evocati recalled, and including the Praetorians, Camp Jupiter had around thirteen hundred soldiers. Of those thirteen hundred, only eight-hundred survived, battle hardened veterans further beyond anything New Rome had known in centuries. The loss of life was devastating, and the New Romans would be feeling it for decades. It was a bitter Pyrrhic Victory, because yes, Terra and the Gigantes had been defeated, but the gods were lost to them, and the Mist was down.

All of this led Percy to where he was at the moment, the survivors of the legion, the Praetorians, and the citizens of New Rome all gathered in the forum, which had been cleared of rubble, and made somewhat presentable. He stood on a raised podium, seen by all. He took a deep breath in.

"We fought." He began. "We bled, and we won. But the price for victory was high, and our gods are lost to us, gone somewhere we cannot follow. Mother Lupa, who led us for millennia, is gone. Jupiter, Mars, my own father, Juno, Vulcan, Venus. All gone. I could go on and list all that we have lost, but it is not our way. The Mist has fallen. Monster hordes unseen in this world roam, terrorising mortals and demigods alike. In the east, our Greek cousins are bunkering down, preparing to hold out until we can arrive to help them."

There was a murmur throughout the crowd. Percy rose his hands.

"I know. The east was lost to us in the aftermath of the Civil War, but the cause for that conflict is gone." He announced. "Before Terra took the gods, they were unified, the return of the Athena Parthenos healing their split personalities. One of the last commands they gave was to make peace, and so make peace I did. The Greeks need our help.Olympus, empty since the loss of the gods, needs our help. But most importantly, the _mortals_ need our help. They don't know this enemy like we do. They can't fight them like we can, and so, if we are to survive in this new world, a world without gods, then we need to keep the mortals alive. We need them as much as they need us. _Fac fortia et patere!_ "

As he finished, roars of approval emerged from the crowd, and for the second time in a year, chants of 'Imperator' filled the air around Percy. Yes, the gods were gone. Yes, the Mist was gone, but Percy had belief, not just in his fellow Romans, but in his Greek cousins. They would survive this.

 **MMXVIII**

 **AN: The epilogue. To explain, Percy, having returned to Camp Jupiter, tells the Romans they are going east, to help the Greeks. In New York, the city is overrun by monsters, and the Greeks are struggling to make a choice on the matter, in the end, deciding to wait for the Romans. Children of the Gods will pick up on the first day of the new year in 2011. I'll begin posting Children of the Gods next week. I hope you enjoyed The Son of Neptune as much as I did writing it.**

 **Cheers, CombatTombat**


	26. Sequel!

Sequel is Up!

The Sequel to the Son of Neptune, _Children of the Gods_ , has been posted, and has four chapters! If you haven't read it yet, please do! If you liked the Son of Neptune, you'll like this one too!

Cheers, CombatTombat


	27. UPDATE: NOT A CHAPTER

UPDATE! 

I have decided to rewrite The Son of Neptune because of several reasons. Chief among them is the fact that I _want_ to. My writing has become so much better than when I wrote Son, and I think I can do a better job at telling the story. Second is because Children of the Gods didn't pan out, and I want to take Percy's story a different direction. I will leave The Son of Neptune up and publish the rewrite under a different name, but I have deleted Children. If you want to read something similar, but written _way_ better, check out Brad Laws _Legacy of Olympus: Flame of the West_. I won't publish it just yet, I'm going to finish The Perseid first, but I will be writing it as I go, so I should have a bunch of chapters come out in rapid succession when I _do_ publish it.

Cheers, CombatTombat


	28. Rewrite is Up!

**Hey guys! This isn't an actual update, but I wanted to let you know my rewrite of Son of Neptune is up! It's a new story based on the same premise as before, with changes made as I saw fit. It will have a lot of the same elements as SoN, but it will be it's own story. This is my attempt to make up for dropping the ball with Children of the Gods. Just a fair warning, I** _ **am**_ **in college (Uni) now, so my writing schedule may not be as concise and frequent as before. I hope you give it a read!**

 **Cheers, CombatTombat**


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